16 of 142 lost property reports at Wang Fuk Court may involve theft, security chief says

“Hong Kong authorities cannot rule out theft in 16 of 142 lost property reports filed by residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate, the security minister has said. Wang Fuk Court on April 22, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. Secretary for Security Chris Tang said on an RTHK programme on Saturday that in 48 cases, the police and the residents were able to retrieve the missing items. “About 20 per cent [of the reports] concerned flats that were severely burned, for which we, as well as the residents, believe the items had likely been incinerated,” Tang said in Cantonese. “In 30 per cent of cases, the residents could not clearly describe the items, making it difficult to follow up.” But Tang said in the remaining 16 cases, the missing items might have been stolen, and that police were investigating. Wang Fuk Court residents were allowed to return to their homes twice since April to collect personal belongings, months after a massive inferno in November ripped through seven blocks of the Tai Po housing estate, killing 168 people and displacing others. The entire estate’s eight blocks have been cordoned off by the authorities since the blaze. Some residents raised alarms about a possible security loophole as they suspected valuable items at their homes had been stolen . In March, weeks before residents made their first home trips, police arrested three men hired to carry out reinforcement works at Wang Fuk Court for allegedly stealing jewellery from unoccupied flats. Authorities said they had stepped up security at the estate since then. Increased emergency hotlines Tang also said on the Saturday programme that the Fire Services Department (FSD) had increased its emergency phone lines from 30 to 48 in recent months, with the figure expected to reach nearly 70 in the next two to three months. After the FSD completes its command system upgrade early next year, there will be 100 available hotlines, Tang added. Secretary for Security Chris Tang at the Legislative Council on March 14, 2024. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. The public inquiry into the blaze previously heard that hundreds of emergency calls during the fire had overloaded the FSD’s system, leading to backlogged calls and failed connections. In one case, a woman died after the police failed to pass her call to the FSD. Tang said on Saturday that the 30-line system had been enough for handling fires in the past until the Tai Po blaze. “We realised 30 lines were not enough in an event like this, so we felt the need to immediately increase that. But we have to strike a balance between resources and needs, and we think that 100 lines will be enough,” Tang said. He also mentioned the government’s proposal to revamp the city’s fire safety laws , saying it aims at ensuring the FSD has the “final responsibility” in the oversight of buildings’ fire risks. The Fire Services Department brought Wednesday’s deadly Tai Po fire under control in the early hours of November 27, 2025. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP. After the revamp, the FSD will actively refer structural fire hazards, such as exit points for workers in a building’s fire staircase, to the responsible departments and follow up on the matter, Tang said. The proposed amendments will cover the Fire Services Ordinance and three subsidiary pieces of legislation on fire safety equipment in buildings, the professionals who oversee them, and the FSD’s powers to abate fire hazards, the government announced last week. A one-month public consultation regarding the proposed revamp is underway. Residents have until June 25 to submit their views in writing.

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