Committee probing Tai Po fire delays submission of report till end of October

An independent committee charged with investigating the causes of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in recent memory has delayed the submission of its report until the end of October. The panel, which originally aimed to finalize its findings by September, cited the complexity of the issues and the substantial volume of documents it must examine as reasons for the delay. The decision to extend the deadline was approved by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

The judge-led committee, which was established in December following the tragic inferno at Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court that claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents, began its inquiry on March 19. Over the past few months, the panel has sifted through one million files and heard testimonies from 80 witnesses, including government officials, residents, workers, and fire safety and legal experts.

The committee's lead counsel, Victor Dawes SC, initially identified "human factors" as the primary cause of the disaster. These included the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding, the widespread installation of combustible materials over windows, the deactivation of the fire alarm system, and the suspension of the fire hosepipe reel system.

Additionally, the committee found evidence of temporary openings in emergency staircases where fire-rated windows had been replaced with moveable boards, and the prevalence of smoking among workers.

Despite the extensive research and evidence gathering, the committee acknowledged that the issues it has uncovered are "numerous and complex in nature." With numerous parties involved, the panel recognizes the need for additional time to thoroughly analyze the vast amount of information submitted by various stakeholders and formulate well-grounded recommendations based on a factual framework.