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 seven of the estate’s eight towers.

The then New Territories North deputy chief fire officer Raymond Wong King-man, who is now on pre-retirement leave, told a judge-led independent committee that the fire remained fierce for the first 10 hours after it started on the afternoon of November 26, posing immense challenges to firefighters.

The committee heard that by the time Wong signed off as commander overseeing the rescue effort in the morning of November 27, the department had handled 129 of 310 calls for help from people trapped inside the residential complex, but only 13 of those rescues were completed by 10pm the previous day.

“We always say it’s a two-track process. If you cannot put out the fire, how can you save those trapped inside?” Wong said.

The officer also highlighted the importance of fire prevention, noting that even the most advanced drones would have a limited effect on the blaze due to insufficient water pressure.