Hongfu Garden Hearing | Residents criticize the fire as a series of negligence, a bad habit of doing less, making fewer mistakes, and not doing anything is not wrong

The Tai Po Hong Fu Court Fire Independent Committee held its fifth hearing today at the Exhibition Hall, with testimonies from multiple residents of Hong Fu Court and representatives from fire engineering companies.

Resident Ye Jiaju recounted the day of the fire in court, stating that he was at home with his wife when they smelled something burning and went downstairs to check, while his wife stayed at home. He then witnessed the canopy igniting immediately and quickly informed his wife to escape. His wife managed to knock on the door to alert neighbors to flee in time, but she missed her own chance to escape and ultimately lost her life. Ye described his wife’s actions as something simple and ordinary that neighbors should do, and he felt guilty afterward, believing that if he had called her a minute or two earlier, she might have been safe.

Ye stated that he had participated in meetings regarding the estate’s major repair works, and early on, there were complaints about smoking issues, describing it as “constant complaints but ongoing problems.” He displayed photos of cigarette butts taken from the windowsill of his bathroom, stating, “It’s not the cigarettes that Hong Kong people smoke.” He had previously shown these to representatives from Hong Ye, who claimed they would follow up, but the situation continued, and many residents had discussed the workers’ smoking issues in Central Park.

Regarding the canopy, Ye also discovered that after the storm hit Hong Kong last year, the replacement canopy was different from the original. He could visually identify color differences and believed the new batch was thinner and had finer mesh. He had raised this in the engineering meeting, but Hong Ye’s director, He Jianye, only “smiled” and did not respond.

Ye also mentioned that during the owners’ meeting, he suspected a large number of unauthorized ballots were being used. He observed that during the voting, staff were holding a transparent box to collect ballots, saying, “Preparing to count the votes, but someone came to vote.” He continued to say that when the owners’ meeting decided on important agendas, a large number of residents were unable to enter the venue and were told it was “full.” He witnessed through the glass that “many people we didn’t recognize.”

Ye had previously complained to the Hong Kong Housing Authority in February of last year, questioning the unreasonableness of the contract terms. At that time, they photocopied the engineering contract and said they would refer it to an independent consultant for review, but “after that… there was nothing.” The Housing Authority stated they “only provide funding,” and this type of situation would not be processed, suggesting he directly contact the engineering consultant for the estate’s major repairs (i.e., Hong Yi), saying, “The problem is, if I complain about the consultant, you’re telling me to go back to the consultant, what do you want me to do?”

A representative from the Housing Authority, Ruan Wenyue, later added that the bureau had previously emailed the corporation regarding issues such as water and electricity, and window sills, to which Ye claimed he was unaware.

Ye finally expressed that he had vaguely seen the truth emerge from the opening statement made by the chief representative of the independent committee, lawyer Du Gankun, saying, “The truth seems to be slowly surfacing,” but he did not hope for just the truth; rather, he wanted accountability. He pointed out that many residents of Hong Fu Court felt guilty for “not doing enough, but a group that should be responsible is not taking responsibility.”

He criticized: “The law does not state that following procedures is a deeply ingrained practice. In their profession, they did not take a step forward and did not function; it is an insult to their duties and professionalism.” He stated: “The fire resulted from a series of negligence, doing less, making fewer mistakes, and not doing anything wrong. If they continue to shirk responsibility, how will they explain it to the citizens? If those who caused the disaster are brushed aside again, how will they explain it to us? The Chief Executive has said that no matter how great the power, those responsible must be held accountable to the end; I hope this is implemented.”