US EditionProbe of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades begins evidence hearings
The inquiry will assess accountability and systemic issues after a fire killed 168 people, including 37 families losing multiple members, with 38 arrests made, officials said.
- On March 19, 2026 the Independent Committee set up by Hong Kong leader John Lee began evidence hearings into the Nov. 26 Wang Fuk Court blaze, the city's deadliest fire in decades that killed 168 people.
- Committee lead counsel Victor Dawes said cigarette butts found on a light well platform likely ignited the fire, while bamboo scaffolding, protective netting and foam boards aided its rapid spread.
- Clips played at the hearing showed residents attempting to use fire hoses and alarms that were inoperable, while staircase and corridor windows were boarded and bamboo scaffolding blocked escape routes, Dawes said.
- The fire killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents, leaving 37 families with at least two members lost, while Police arrested 38 on manslaughter and fraud charges and ICAC detained 23 linked to contractors and owners.
- Judge David Lok said the inquiry will probe bid‑rigging and systemic problems, with the Independent Committee set up in December expected to work nine months and call government officials, directors of construction firms and former residents.
39 Articles
39 Articles
Independent committee probing Hong Kong's Tai Po fire holds 1st public hearing
The independent committee set up to investigate the deadly residential fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), held its first public hearing on Thursday, taking evidence on matters outlined in its terms of reference.
Almost all fire-fighting measures were lacking, due to "human factors", in the huge residential complex in Hong Kong, ravaged by a monster fire at the end of 2025, according to the evidence presented on the first day of the public hearing of the commission of inquiry.
HK inferno: fire safety measures hampered, inquiry told
The Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po had 2000 apartments in eight blocks. Photo: Reuters Human factors rendered ineffective almost all the fire safety measures at the site of a Hong Kong blaze that killed 168 people in November, the lead lawyer for a panel led by a judge that is investigating the inferno says.
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