The eighth day of the hearing by the independent committee investigating the November 26 blaze that claimed 168 lives centred on Cheng Tsz-ying, a property officer at ISS EastPoint, the property management company for the Tai Po estate that was undergoing extensive renovations at the time of the fire.

Cheng on Thursday testified about the deactivation of fire alarms, the removal of fireproof windows from emergency staircases and workers’ smoking habits on site.

These issues were among six “human factors” identified in the opening statement of the committee’s lead counsel, Victor Dawes, as contributing to the scale of the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since 1948.

Dawes told the hearing on Thursday that more senior ISS staff had declined to testify.

He said to Cheng: “You might not be the most suitable person to speak about the fire safety duties of ISS, but please understand that you are the most suitable one among our witnesses.”