Hongfu Garden Hearing | First resident to call the police: The first time I dialed 999, the line was busy

The Independent Committee of Hong Fu Court held its first round of the fourth hearing today, with a total of 9 residents and 2 cleaning workers testifying. The first resident to call 999, Wong Ka-wan, mentioned that she waited a long time before someone answered. “This was my first time calling 999, and the line was busy. I waited for a long time,” she said. She also noted that the operator did not remind her to sound the alarm, and she regretted saying, “I forgot to ring the fire alarm.”

The first witness to testify today, Wu Aisi, lives in Hong Cheung House. She said that on the day of the incident, she heard objects falling outside her unit starting from 8 a.m. Occasionally, she saw cigarette butts and construction debris outside the building. She stated that just by peeking out from the kitchen, main door, or living room windows, she could see construction debris on bamboo sheds and window sills. The debris included bamboo sheds, foam, tape, and cardboard.

Wong Ka-wan, the first resident of Hong Fu Court to call 999, lives in Hong Cheung House. She said she had not seen workers smoking, but since the scaffolding was erected, she often smelled smoke entering her home. When asked where she could smell the smoke, she replied, “Almost everywhere,” noting that notices had been posted in the elevator reminding residents not to smoke.

On the day of the incident, Wong Ka-wan said she smelled smoke and immediately called 999. However, it took a long time for someone to answer. “This was my first time calling 999, and the line was busy. I waited a long time. I heard Cantonese, English, and Mandarin once each,” she said. “I waited for a long time, but why was the line busy?”

She explained that when she spoke to the 999 operator, she mentioned smelling a foul odor. The operator advised her to escape via the stairs, but did not mention ringing the fire alarm. She later regretted not ringing the fire alarm, saying, “I forgot to ring the fire alarm.”

She stated that she did not feel an urgent need to run at the time, until she saw a “red window” outside one floor. The window on the staircase three floors below looked like that.