Hong Kong, 1 December 2025 — Hong Kong’s Security Bureau said preliminary findings point to non-fire-retardant safety netting and flammable foam panels as the likely causes of the fatal Wang Fuk Court blaze in Tai Po, with investigators uncovering what officials described as a deliberate attempt to mask the use of substandard materials.
Security Bureau chief Tang told reporters on Monday that the fire’s rapid spread was consistent with safety nets that failed to meet flame-retardant standards. He said the burning netting ignited adjacent foam panels, producing intense heat that shattered window glass and channelled flames into residential units.
Tang said the problematic netting was installed after winds damaged earlier protective nets in July. A local supplier sold approximately 2,300 rolls — covering 75,000 square metres — at HKD 54 per roll, material that did not meet Hong Kong’s fire-retardant requirements. “The volume purchased was sufficient for eight residential blocks,” he said.
Following a separate scaffolding fire in Central in late August, parties involved became concerned about inspection risks. According to Tang, the same supplier subsequently sold about 3,700 square metres of compliant, flame-retardant netting at HKD 100 per roll. This material was installed only at the base of the scaffolding to pass required tests, while the bulk of the structure remained wrapped with non-compliant netting — an arrangement Tang described as an attempt to obscure the use of unsafe materials.
Police have taken 20 samples from different parts of the site, some requiring firefighters to climb onto external scaffolding to retrieve. Seven of the samples failed flame-retardant tests. “Easily accessible samples were more likely to be compliant,” Tang said. “The sections that were harder to reach had a significantly higher rate of non-compliance.”
The investigation continues, with authorities examining procurement practices and potential criminal liabilities.
