Society

The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po had their first evidential hearing this morning at City Gallery in Central.  The committee's lead barrister Victor Dawes said the fire was a consequence of multiple overlapping human errors. “All fire safety measures were unavailable at the day of the fire, due to human wrongdoings,” Dawes said.  Fire footage from the residents, passersby and media outlets were displayed at the hearing. Dawes said multiple CCTV footage from the buildings and the constructor indicate that cigarette butts are the fire’s main cause — engulfing the substandard combustible nets and bamboo scaffolding within 15 minutes. Evidence also showed failures in the fire alarms system, which affected the residents’ escape. Smoke was able to enter the buildings more easily since windows at the stairwells were replaced by wooden boards, for the convenience of construction workers. CCTV footage also showed residents were unable to put out the fire, as the hoses were not connected to any water tanks. Some audience cried during the hearing. Former Wang Tai House resident, 69-year-old Law, who lost a relative from the fire, said he wants the hearings to reconstruct what happened. “I think the government has to take responsibility. There are strict rules, but they were not executed with caution,” he said. Seven more hearings will be held on Mar. 20, 24, 26, 30, 31 and Apr. 1, 2. The hearing for the deadly fire on Nov. 26 — which took 168 lives — requires a pre-registration. Prioritised quotas are given to Wang Fuk Court residents, while members of the public and media are also welcomed. Registrations are now closed.

In a cramped public housing flat in Wong Tai Sin, Li Yuet-siu, 74, spends almost every hour of her day caring for her 89-year-old husband, who has been bedridden since he broke bones in both hips and legs in 2018. He can still stand and walk a few steps with a cane, but only as far as the toilet, clinging to furniture and walls for support. After the accident, Li said her husband was hospitalised and moved into two different government-funded care homes. But he repeatedly shouted and begged to go home, making it impossible for carers to help him.  Since he has moved home, every need – from getting out of bed to going to the bathroom – has rested on Li’s shoulders. “Every day, I help him eat, wash and use the toilet. He refuses to wear adult diapers, saying they’re too hot and uncomfortable, so I have to wake up at midnight when he needs to urinate,” Li said, adding that her husband sometimes gets up by himself but falls. “Lifting him hurts my back badly, but if I drop him, it’s worse... Once when he fell, I couldn’t lift him, so I called the ambulance service. The staff said moving him could dislocate bones or injure him further, but I had no choice. I had no training and no one to help,” she said. Hong Kong’s rapidly aging population is straining family caregivers, many of whom are elderly themselves and face chronic exhaustion, injuries and emotional turmoil without adequate support. An expert estimates there are around 180,000 elderly caregivers in Hong Kong. According to the Census and Statistics Department, the number of elderly persons aged 65 and over is projected to nearly double over a 25-year period, from 1.45 million in 2021 to 2.74 million in …