Hong Kong authorities have pledged to intervene in landlord-tenant disputes preventing residents from retrieving belongings from the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, as packing efforts enter their 10th day. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Wednesday that while the government expected agreement on limited entry quotas, authorities were prepared to make “alternative arrangements” to…
Hong Kong’s fire services declined to activate an emergency alert during the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, citing concerns that it might have caused confusion among trapped residents, a public inquiry has heard. An independent committee investigating last year’s disaster at Wang Fuk Court was also told on Thursday that the system, which would have…
A firefighter killed in Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades may have entered the wrong building amid the initial chaos at the scene and fallen from a height, the first day of a public hearing into the inferno has heard. More details surrounding the death of 37-year-old Ho Wai-ho, among the first batch of firefighters…
The family of deceased firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died while battling Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in November, will receive HK$6.15 million (US$831,246) in financial assistance in recognition of his courage and selflessness. The government on Friday announced a grant approved by the body responsible for providing financial support to families of individuals who died while…
Beijing’s top office overseeing Hong Kong affairs said on New Year’s Day that the city’s administration had lived up to expectations, stressing its effective response to the deadly Tai Po fire demonstrated unity and resilience. Acknowledging President Xi Jinping’s New Year wishes for the city, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu also pledged in a social…
Members of an independent committee created to investigate Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades inspected the scene of the blaze on Tuesday morning to get a better understanding of the actual environment and conditions at Wang Fuk Court. Judge David Lok Kai-hong, the group’s chairman, was joined by fellow committee members such as Executive Council…
A Hong Kong district officer has apologised for the clothing she wore at the funeral of the firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died battling the Tai Po blaze, after her choice of attire drew criticism from many online. In a social media post, the Home Affairs Department said that following Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades…
Hongkongers gathered on Friday to pay their last respects to the firefighter who died battling the Tai Po blaze, as his hearse passed the fire site and the fire station he had served in en route to the cemetery in Gallant Garden, in a funeral procession with full honours. The Fire Services Department held an…
The owners’ corporation of the Hong Kong housing estate destroyed in last month’s deadly fire is seeking to oust the main contractor and consultant for renovation works after staff from both companies were arrested for alleged manslaughter and corruption. The Fire Services Department, meanwhile, revealed on Thursday that it had conferred the honorary title of…
More than 1,700 households affected by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have received an emergency cash handout of HK$10,000 (US$1,284), an official has confirmed, as the city works to ease mortgage burdens on impacted homeowners. Authorities earlier announced a series of relief funds for residents affected by last Wednesday’s massive Wang Fuk Court inferno,…