Hong Kong Housing Secretary Resigns as Tai Po Fire Report Finds Regulatory Failures; Leader Apologises

HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader John Lee apologised on Thursday, October 29, over last November's Wang Fuk Court fire, and announced that Housing Secretary Winnie Ho has resigned. Lee said Ho should bear political responsibility, although no personal wrongdoing was found; Ho resigned on Wednesday, October 28, the first official to step down over the fire. At the start of the news conference, Lee and seven other top officials bowed in apology.

What the investigation found

An independent committee found that the Housing Bureau's independent checking unit failed in its duties supervising the maintenance work at Wang Fuk Court. Lee said four government bodies bore partial responsibility. The government received the committee's report last week and is expected to decide on accountability and disciplinary action for individuals and officials, as well as outline a reform plan; Lee promised extensive reforms to the building industry and regulatory system. The committee's work is separate from criminal investigations, in which seven people and two companies have been charged with offences including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud.

Last November's fire

The fire broke out last November and engulfed seven 31-storey tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in the northern Tai Po district, which was undergoing renovation work. It killed 168 people and displaced thousands of residents, making it the deadliest fire in the city since 1948. Authorities allege the two companies and some defendants conspired to defraud apartment owners by concealing previous litigation records of the company later awarded the renovation project, a contract worth more than HK$300 million. For nearly a year, many former residents who lost loved ones and homes have waited to see how the government would address accountability.

What comes next

Attention now turns to the accountability list and disciplinary actions the government is expected to announce, and to the specifics of building and renovation regulatory reform — including whether the independent checking unit's role will change and how tendering and supervision of maintenance work will be tightened. Criminal cases are still proceeding, and their outcomes will determine the legal liability of the individuals and companies involved.