Firefighters prioritised tackling blaze over rescues, Tai Po probe hears

Firefighters combating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades prioritised bringing the blaze under control over evacuating residents due to the “unprecedented” scale of the disaster, a public inquiry has heard. Four Fire Services Department officers on Monday shared how the operation unfolded during the initial stage of the 43-hour inferno that ravaged Wang Fuk Court in November, highlighting the difficulties in rescuing residents trapped in their homes due to the fire’s rapid spread across se...

By Brian Wong,Leopold Chen