Cigarette likely started Macau fire, independent committee finds
An independent committee investigating the Macau fire at Tai Po's Wang Fook Court concluded a cigarette was the likely cause. The report identified human errors, including workers smoking and unsafe construction materials, contributing to the severe casualties.
A report by an independent committee investigating the fire at Wang Fook Court in Tai Po has concluded that the blaze was most likely started by a cigarette. The committee found evidence suggesting a heat source, probably a cigarette, ignited paper materials on a platform outside units 104 and 105 of Wang Cheong House, causing smouldering.
The committee identified several human errors, mistakes or negligence that led to the fire and the high number of casualties. These included workers smoking, the use of unsafe construction materials such as non-flame-retardant scaffolding nets, unsafe construction practices including the creation of openings, and the improper operation of fire-fighting equipment by unqualified persons.
The report cited physical evidence showing that construction workers had smoked at the site in the months before the fire. Excavated debris from the platform outside units 104 and 105 of Wang Cheong House revealed two cigarette stubs and one burnt cigarette stub remnant. The report noted that humidity was low during the fire, making materials more flammable due to reduced moisture content, which also made smouldering more likely. Although there was no direct evidence that a lit cigarette caused the fire, the report said there was sufficient circumstantial evidence to support that conclusion.
The report also stated that the investigation team ruled out several other potential causes of the fire, including sparks from hot work, spontaneous combustion, electrical faults and gas leaks.
The expert team attributed the fire spread to several factors: rapid vertical spread of the fire up the light well, spread from the light well into individual units, and secondary ignition triggered by combustible materials on the external walls.
Regarding the cause of the high number of casualties, the report said the extremely rapid vertical spread of the fire increased the risk of entrapment, thick smoke hindered residents' evacuation, burning bamboo and other debris accumulating on the ground floor blocked building entrances, and escape routes lost their protective function. These factors reduced evacuation time, particularly in Wang Cheong House and Wang Tai House.