Tai Po Fire: Styrofoam-sealed windows fuel rapid blaze
發佈日期: 2025-11-28 20:26
TVB News
With the Wang Fuk Court No. 5 alarm fire claiming more than a hundred lives, preliminary lab tests confirmed that the buildings' scaffold netting have met fire-retardant standards.
So the Styrofoam boards could have contributed to the fire.
The exact cause of the blaze remains under investigation with authorities looking to take law enforcement measures against contractors responsible for the fire alarm system -- which failed to sound when the blaze erupted.
The city's deadliest blaze in some 70 years. Online video clips appear to capture the fire's initial outbreak, with authorities having confirmed that the flames started on the lower floors of Wang Cheong House before setting ablaze the Styrofoam boards that were used to seal the windows -- and are highly flammable.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang says preliminary laboratory tests indicate while the scaffold netting met fire-retardant requirements, it can still catch fire -- same for the bamboo scaffolding.
But he said it is likely the Styrofoam boards fuelled the spread of the blaze to multiple floors -- as well as six other buildings across the estate. The Styrofoam panels affixed to the windows also caused glass to shatter -- allowing the blaze to rip through units inside the buildings.
Another critical factor: possibly the fire alarm system did not work.
The Fire Services Department flagged operational issues with the alarms in all eight buildings -- while the systems were not turned off, they failed to sound during the fire.
Authorities will pursue enforcement measures against contractors responsible for the estate's fire alarm system.
CHRIS TANG, Secretary for Security: "We need time to get all the details. As I said, even some of the deceased we cannot be fully identified yet. So I think at an appropriate time when we get all the information and we are more than happy to release all the information that the public is concerned, there's nothing government is unwilling to do."
Since the fire erupted, more than 2,000 firefighters and paramedics have been deployed.
