Tai Po fire probe: water pressure could only reach 20th floor, commander says

Assistant director of Fire Services Department recounts challenges faced by officers, including falling debris that blocked entrance of building

The head of the Fire Services Department will give evidence on the 19th day of evidential hearings into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, becoming the most senior official to testify to date.

Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin will appear before the independent committee on Friday to testify about the department’s operations during the inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po last November.

Tang Wing-wah, assistant director for New Territories North and one of the commanders on site, was the first to testify on the day. He recounted the challenges that firefighters faced, including falling debris that blocked the entrance to Wang Cheong House, and the need to carry heavy portable pumps to increase the water pressure at higher levels, since the booster pumps across the estate’s eight buildings had been deactivated.

Two senior firefighters testified before the judge-led panel on Thursday, including Derek Armstrong Chan, one of Yeung’s deputies and the top commander on site during the fire.

The blaze, which broke out on November 26, 2025, engulfed all but one of the estate’s eight high-rise buildings, which were being renovated at the time.

Hong Kong’s deadliest fire since 1948 killed 168 people, including a firefighter, and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.

Chan defended his decision not to activate the government’s Emergency Alert System, saying it was “unsuitable for the incident”.

However, he conceded that the level four fire alarm should have been raised earlier so that more firefighters and equipment could arrive sooner.

Follow our live coverage as the hearing continues.

More from our coverage:

How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno