A fire station officer deployed to the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire has told an independent committee that the Fire Services Department (FSD) has no standard operating procedures to deal with non-functioning alarm systems during a blaze.

Tai Po Fire Station’s Senior Station Officer Hui Kin-on gave testimony on Monday, the 11th day of the hearings investigating the fire in Tai Po that killed 168 people, including a firefighter.

“Would it be a much greater help if there were clear instructions?” asked Lee Shu-wan, a lawyer representing the independent committee.

“Agree,” Ho replied, adding that the operational response would depend on the commanding officer’s orders, based on the actual situation at the scene.

See also: 7-month water tank works that disabled fire safety systems acceptable, official tells Tai Po blaze probe

The probe into the Wang Fuk Court fire previously heard testimony from an electrician for estate management firm ISS Eastpoint, who unknowingly switched off all the fire alarms months before the tragedy, and from residents who did not hear the fire alarms go off during the blaze.

Priorities

Hui, who led firefighters in the first 30 minutes of the blaze, said on Monday that the firefighters had loudhailers they could have used to urge residents to evacuate, but they instead prioritised deploying water jets to combat the fire.

Lam Ho-chun, the FSD’s deputy divisional commander for New Territories East, said that police officers on the scene were tasked with using their own loudhailers to notify residents of the fire.

Tai Po Fire Station Commander Cheung Lok-hang, who took over as incident commander from Ho on November 26, said on Monday that he deployed firefighters to suppress the fire so residents would have a chance to evacuate.

The blaze “was spreading too quickly. I wanted to make sure our brothers suppressed the fire to buy time for the residents to escape,” he said.

Cheung also told the hearing that his fire station did not inspect Wang Fuk Court’s fire systems, although the FSD received notices before the blaze that the fire hydrant and hose systems had been shut down, saying that doing so was not within their remit.

A Fire Services Department commander involved in fighting the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire has told a probe committee that there was no record of firefighter Ho Wai-ho entering one of the estate’s buildings before his death.

Testifying on Monday, the 11th day of the hearings investigating the tragedy that killed 168 people, Senior Station Officer Hui Kin-on of Tai Po Fire Station said he did not deploy a designated officer to keep a record of firefighters entering the buildings.

Hui, who led firefighters in the first 30 minutes of the blaze, told Lee Shu-wan, a lawyer representing the independent committee investigating the fire, that he did not designate an entry control officer as the firefighters were still suppressing the fire outside the buildings.

The late Ho was among the 168 lives lost in the fire that engulfed seven of the eight buildings at the Tai Po housing estate. He died in the line of duty on November 26, the day the fire broke out, and was posthumously promoted to senior firefighter.

The fallen firefighter, stationed at Sha Tin Fire Station, was assigned to a rescue operation with two colleagues on the 27th floor of Wang Cheong House, the first building that caught fire. But video evidence showed him entering the neighbouring Wang Tai House alone at 3.15pm.

At 3.22pm, other firefighters received a Mayday distress signal from the 30th floor of one of the buildings, later confirmed to have been sent by Ho.

He was unable to determine his own location when he made the distress call, the committee heard. When firefighters radioed him asking for his name, he did not reply.

‘At a complete loss’

Asked if he was “at a complete loss” as to where the firefighter could have been, Hui said he was. “I was surprised as to how he got up to such a height when the fire was so severe,” he added.

Five to six teams, each comprising up to 20 firefighters, were deployed in the Mayday rescue operation.

The committee also heard that the firefighters were initially unable to enter the buildings because falling debris, including bamboo scaffolding and nets, had piled up outside the entrance of Wang Cheong House, the first tower to burn.

They were at times able to make openings to enter the premises, but they had to keep clearing the falling debris.

Ho was discovered on the ground outside Wang Tai House at 3.55pm. He was rushed to hospital and later pronounced dead.