Officials said on Monday that seven out of 20 protective net samples taken from Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had failed fire retardant standards.
The estate’s eight blocks had been under renovation since July last year and were covered by scaffolding and green mesh. The inferno, which raged for 43 hours after starting on Wednesday afternoon, tore through seven blocks.
Preliminary investigations found that following typhoon damage in July, some of the nets outside the scaffolding were replaced with cheaper, non-fire-resistant material.
Chief Secretary Eric Chan Kwok-ki said the suspects employed “cunning methods” and used a mix of nets – some that were fire-resistant and some that were not.
“Samples which failed the requirements were found in spots difficult to reach, where firefighters had to climb out, to avoid detection by authorities,” he told a press briefing.
