On the first night of the Wang Fuk Court level-5 blaze in Tai Po, while the blaze was still spreading out of control, Secretary for Security Chris Tang told reporters that firefighters had found the protective netting, screening, waterproof tarpaulins and plastic sheets on the building façade were burning and spreading far more rapidly and intensely than compliant materials should, calling the situation unusual.

Police also discovered foam insulation panels — highly combustible and capable of accelerating fire — stuck onto windows in the only block that had not been affected, which they also described as unusual.

Yet by the next day, Chief Executive John Lee shifted the focus onto bamboo scaffolding at his press conference, saying the government would push ahead with a roadmap to replace traditional bamboo scaffolds with metal ones.

On the third day, after the fire was largely extinguished, Chris Tang changed tone, saying preliminary lab results showed that the scaffolding netting and protective mesh met fire-retardant standards, but the foam panels surrounding the windows were highly flammable.