Housing provider apologises after scheduling fire drill for Wang Fuk Court survivors on anniversary of deadly blaze
A Hong Kong public housing provider has apologised and rescheduled a fire drill at an estate mainly occupied by survivors of the Wang Fuk Court fire following backlash over the exercise being scheduled on the first anniversary of the deadly blaze.
A Threads user identifying herself as a former resident of Wang Fuk Court, now living at Eminence Tower 1 in Hung Shui Kiu, posted a notice issued by the Hong Kong Housing Society scheduling a fire drill on November 26 — the date the fatal fire broke out last year.
“Why pour salt on our wounds? Out of all the days that could have been picked, did you really have to schedule it on the same day, at the exact same time?! Especially knowing full well that this place is housing most of the relocated Wang Fuk Court residents?!” the user said.
According to the notice, the fire drill and safety talk were scheduled to take place at 2.30pm on November 26.
‘Discomfort’
Replying to the Monday post, the public housing provider said it recognised the arrangements had caused “discomfort” among residents and apologised. Its reply appeared to be the only activity on the account.
“Regarding the recent notice concerning the ‘Fire Drill and Fire Safety Talk’ at Eminence Tower 1, Hung Shui Kiu, we sincerely apologize for the discomfort caused to residents by the arrangements mentioned for November 26,” the housing provider said.
“We will reschedule the event, make alternative arrangements, and issue an updated notice to residents in due course.”
The Housing Society’s drill notice and subsequent apology came around two weeks before the first anniversary of the Wang Fuk Court fire. The inferno killed 168 people, including a firefighter, and displaced thousands of residents at the estate.
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James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.
Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law.
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