https://www.scmp.com/rss/325355/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades completed its 10th day of evidential hearings on Friday. The session focused on the Fire Services Department’s handling of shutdown notices for the fire safety systems at Wang Fuk Court, the Tai Po housing estate where 168 people were killed in the catastrophic blaze last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349567/tai-po-probe-switching-fire-system-power-elementary-mistake-official-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 02:50:02 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, concluded its second round of hearings on Wednesday. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire service equipment, testified again on conflicting... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349316/no-water-flowed-through-hoses-plumber-says-tai-po-fire-hearings-resume?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349316/no-water-flowed-through-hoses-plumber-says-tai-po-fire-hearings-resume?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 03:01:08 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Danny Mok Matthew Cheng,Danny Mok A 79-year-old mainland Chinese man who went missing while hiking on Hong Kong’s MacLehose Trail over the weekend was found on Monday afternoon. Rescuers found He Chengan conscious near Kwan Tai Temple in Tai Tong along Section 10 of the trail, where he had last been seen, police said. A government helicopter airlifted him to Tuen Mun Hospital, where he was in a stable condition. When found, he was covered with sand and missing both shoes, although one lay nearby. Rescuers placed him on a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349134/search-81-year-old-hiker-who-went-missing-tuen-mun-enters-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349134/search-81-year-old-hiker-who-went-missing-tuen-mun-enters-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Apr 2026 06:07:13 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong rescuers are searching for a 79-year-old man missing since Saturday, with authorities discovering one of his shoes nearly 20 hours into the operation. Police said on Sunday the man, surnamed He, was hiking with his wife along Section 10 of the MacLehose Trail at around 10am the day before. They had been heading in the direction of the Tai Lam Chung Reservoir in Tuen Mun, the force said. According to a social media post from the man’s adult child, he split off from his wife at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349078/hong-kong-rescuers-search-man-81-who-went-missing-hike-tuen-mun?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349078/hong-kong-rescuers-search-man-81-who-went-missing-hike-tuen-mun?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 07:34:57 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Police have arrested a domestic helper on suspicion of child neglect following the death of a six-month-old baby in northern Hong Kong. The force said it received a report from the baby girl’s family at 11.39am on Friday that she had been found unconscious on a bed at home in the Fairview Park development in Yuen Long. Emergency personnel rushed the infant to Pok Oi Hospital in Yuen Long for treatment, police said. She was transferred to Tuen Mun Hospital, where she was later certified dead. A... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349003/domestic-helper-arrested-after-6-month-old-girl-dies-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349003/domestic-helper-arrested-after-6-month-old-girl-dies-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 16:24:46 +0000 Edith Lin,Leopold Chen Edith Lin,Leopold Chen An employee of the property management firm at Hong Kong’s inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate has admitted the company failed in its contractual obligations to identify and follow up on fire hazards, while none of its top management testified at an evidential hearing into the disaster. 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... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348856/tai-po-blaze-hearing-property-firm-failed-identify-follow-fire-hazards?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348856/tai-po-blaze-hearing-property-firm-failed-identify-follow-fire-hazards?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 15:18:05 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno in decades wrapped up its first round of hearing sessions on Thursday, with the role of the property management firm at blaze-hit Wang Fuk Court under scrutiny. Lam Man-yan, technical officer with ISS EastPoint - the property manager of the Tai Po housing estate when the fire... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348730/tai-po-fire-hearing-committee-chairman-says-good-progress-made?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348730/tai-po-fire-hearing-committee-chairman-says-good-progress-made?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Apr 2026 03:14:07 +0000 Edith Lin,Leopold Chen Edith Lin,Leopold Chen Staff at the property management company at Hong Kong’s inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate acted with disregard for legal requirements, taking such actions as deactivating the fire safety system despite knowing they needed a registered contractor to do so, an evidential hearing has been told. Victor Dawes, lead counsel for an independent committee investigating the November 26 blaze that claimed 168 lives, also pointed to the management company’s workflow as a contributing factor in... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348715/tai-po-probe-workers-turned-fire-safety-system-disregarding-regulations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348715/tai-po-probe-workers-turned-fire-safety-system-disregarding-regulations?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 15:36:34 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen A property management worker at the housing estate ravaged by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades was unaware that fire alarms had been deactivated after the hose reel system was shut down for water tank repairs, an evidentiary hearing has been told. On the sixth day of hearings by an independent committee investigating the November 26 blaze in Tai Po that claimed 168 lives, questions also arose about why fire services water tanks on building roofs were being repaired – a move that prompted... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348578/tai-po-blaze-hearing-property-management-worker-unaware-fire-alarms-deactivated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348578/tai-po-blaze-hearing-property-management-worker-unaware-fire-alarms-deactivated?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 14:46:35 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The traumatic memories of Hong Kong’s deadliest high-rise inferno are being revived as an independent review of the November tragedy gets down to business. The harrowing details of the blaze presented in the first few public hearing sessions are disturbing as are the contributing human factors and systemic failures identified. The rigorous fact-finding process should continue with full support from all parties concerned so that lessons are learned and reforms are undertaken to tackle an array of... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348139/time-confront-uncomfortable-truths-about-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:15:20 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Two women climbed out of a window of a residential building in Hong Kong to escape a fire that sent three people to hospital on Sunday, police said. Police received multiple reports at 5.28pm of a blaze at Yen Dack Building on Chun Yeung Street in North Point. Thick smoke billowed from a high-floor unit as firefighters arrived, deploying a water jet and a breathing apparatus team. The fire was extinguished at 6.19pm. Two women and a man, aged 58 to 78, were taken conscious to Pamela Youde... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347493/2-women-climb-out-window-flee-hong-kong-building-fire-injured-3-others?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347493/2-women-climb-out-window-flee-hong-kong-building-fire-injured-3-others?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Mar 2026 12:29:27 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Industry leaders have called on Hong Kong authorities to review crane safety guidelines to include mandatory testing for metal fatigue, following another fatal collapse. An operator was killed on Thursday afternoon when a tower crane toppled at a construction site for the second phase of a public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road in Kwai Chung, crashing onto a slope opposite Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate. The project’s main contractor, Woon Lee Construction, was previously fined by... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347267/hong-kong-crane-collapse-signals-need-metal-fatigue-testing-expert?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347267/hong-kong-crane-collapse-signals-need-metal-fatigue-testing-expert?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 05:47:30 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Contractors for a renovation project at the site of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades got away with covering up the use of substandard material because of systemic defects in government supervision, a public inquiry into the blaze that claimed 168 lives has heard. In the first of a series of evidential hearings, a judge-led independent committee was told on Thursday that six “human factors” led to the almost complete failure of fire safety measures at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court before seven of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347214/deadly-tai-po-fire-revealed-unacceptable-systemic-failings-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347214/deadly-tai-po-fire-revealed-unacceptable-systemic-failings-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:35:27 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen A firefighter killed in Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades may have entered the wrong building amid the initial chaos at the scene and fallen from a height, the first day of a public hearing into the inferno has heard. More details surrounding the death of 37-year-old Ho Wai-ho, among the first batch of firefighters sent to tackle the blaze, emerged as the independent committee set up by the government to investigate the fire at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po held its first... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347208/firefighter-killed-tai-po-blaze-may-have-entered-wrong-building-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347208/firefighter-killed-tai-po-blaze-may-have-entered-wrong-building-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 14:09:41 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A tower crane collapsed at a construction site for a public housing project in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung on Thursday afternoon, killing the operator and damaging a truck. The main contractor involved, Woon Lee Construction, was previously fined by authorities over two fatal incidents at its sites in 2009 and 2011. The accident occurred at 4.27pm at the construction site for the public housing project Tai Wo Hau Road phase two on a slope opposite Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate. The 62-year-old... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347161/operator-killed-tower-crane-collapses-hong-kong-construction-site?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347161/operator-killed-tower-crane-collapses-hong-kong-construction-site?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 09:15:25 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Some anxious residents of fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court have urged Hong Kong authorities to help them climb stairs using makeshift aids when they return to their high-rise homes to collect personal belongings next month. Some lawmakers also proposed on Saturday that the government deploy wearable walking robots, stair-climbing trolleys or wheelchairs to assist elderly residents of the Tai Po estate devastated by the inferno that claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 people in November. They... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3344993/hi-tech-aids-proposed-help-elderly-climb-stairs-fire-ravaged-tai-po-flats?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3344993/hi-tech-aids-proposed-help-elderly-climb-stairs-fire-ravaged-tai-po-flats?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 15:03:36 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hundreds of residents at a Hong Kong public housing estate were evacuated in the early hours of the second day of Lunar New Year over a suspected fire, only to discover that white smoke billowing from a flat had come from a cooking mishap. The Fire Services Department received a fire alarm report at about 2.30am on Wednesday concerning Kin Wah House at Kin Ming Estate in Tiu Keng Leng. Some residents took to social media to report the incident. “Where is the fire? I’m ready to grab my two cats... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343870/hundreds-evacuated-after-cooking-mishap-sparks-false-alarm-hong-kong-estate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3343870/hundreds-evacuated-after-cooking-mishap-sparks-false-alarm-hong-kong-estate?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 18 Feb 2026 04:07:42 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen A hiker in his forties was airlifted to hospital and later pronounced dead after passing out on a trail on Hong Kong Island on Sunday. Police said they received a report at 2.16pm that the man had collapsed on the Hong Kong Trail, near Parker Avenue on Siu Ma Shan. A government helicopter airlifted the hiker to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan, where he was later certified dead. Police are investigating the cause of his death. The 50km trail runs from Victoria Peak to Big... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3341166/man-dies-after-collapsing-while-hiking-hong-kong-island?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3341166/man-dies-after-collapsing-while-hiking-hong-kong-island?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 11:24:21 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying A 63-year-old Hong Kong man has died after collapsing during a hike on Robin’s Nest Country Trail near the border with mainland China. Police received a call at 12.42pm on Sunday from a female hiker who said her male friend had collapsed and lost consciousness. He was hiking with two men and two women at Robin’s Nest Country Park in Sha Tau Kok, bordering the mainland city of Shenzhen. The unconscious man was transported by helicopter to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340313/hong-kong-hiker-63-airlifted-hospital-after-collapsing-robins-nest-trail?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340313/hong-kong-hiker-63-airlifted-hospital-after-collapsing-robins-nest-trail?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:13:33 +0000 Oscar Liu,Danny Mok Oscar Liu,Danny Mok The death toll of Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades has risen to 168 from 161 after the remains of more victims were identified, with the city’s security chief reporting seven weeks after the tragedy that the figure was “final”. Authorities on Thursday also released demographic information on the deceased in the Tai Po blaze. The inferno that swept through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate on November 26 last year claimed 58 male and 110 female victims, aged from six months to 98 years. Four... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340034/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-rises-168-after-more-remains-identified?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3340034/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-rises-168-after-more-remains-identified?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 10:54:16 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok A Hong Kong man is fighting for his life in hospital after jumping from his first-floor flat following a gas explosion that ripped through his home and blew out a window frame. Police said the man, 42, plunged to the ground after the blast around 6.40pm on Monday at an ageing residential building at 43 Pak Tai Street in To Kwa Wan. He remained conscious and was sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where he was listed as being in a critical condition on Monday night. A twisted metal... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339623/hong-kong-plunges-ground-after-blast-hong-kong-flat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3339623/hong-kong-plunges-ground-after-blast-hong-kong-flat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 12 Jan 2026 11:41:49 +0000 Denise Tsang Denise Tsang Six labour unions with Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department have denounced banker turned film producer Checkley Sin Kwok-lam for comments about its chief’s handling of the Tai Po fire. The unions banded together on Thursday to slam Sin’s comments about the department’s strategies for battling the city’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze raged for about 43 hours, killing 161 people and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Sin, a former banker who went on to produce the award-winning kung fu film... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337737/hong-kong-firefighter-unions-slam-ip-man-producer-checkley-sin-over-blaze-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3337737/hong-kong-firefighter-unions-slam-ip-man-producer-checkley-sin-over-blaze-remarks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 13:20:27 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung Hong Kong police have made their 16th arrest in connection with last month’s deadly Tai Po blaze, detaining a man on suspicion of manslaughter. Police earlier arrested 15 people in connection with the fire, which engulfed seven of eight scaffolding-clad residential buildings in the Wang Fuk Court housing estate on November 26, killing 161 and displacing almost 5,000 residents. Police said on Wednesday that they arrested a man, 48, in Tin Shui Wai. He was the person in charge of the external wall... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3337665/hong-kong-police-make-another-arrest-over-deadly-tai-po-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3337665/hong-kong-police-make-another-arrest-over-deadly-tai-po-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 24 Dec 2025 15:25:30 +0000 Harvey Kong,Susan Su,Jiang Chuqin Harvey Kong,Susan Su,Jiang Chuqin Hongkongers gathered on Friday to pay their last respects to the firefighter who died battling the Tai Po blaze, as his hearse passed the site of the inferno and fire station he served in en route to the burial grounds in Gallant Garden, in a funeral procession with full honours. The Fire Services Department held an official funeral for the late Ho Wai-ho at Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom at 10am, attended by the chief executive and other top government officials, as well as the city’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336996/fallen-firefighter-honoured-funeral-rites-hongkongers-gather-pay-last-respects?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336996/fallen-firefighter-honoured-funeral-rites-hongkongers-gather-pay-last-respects?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Dec 2025 03:19:03 +0000 Mary Ann Benitez Mary Ann Benitez A domestic helper who died in Hong Kong’s devastating Tai Po fire last month had planned to return home permanently to the Philippines to be with her 10-year-old son and was due to leave on Saturday, the Post has learned. Maryan Pascual Esteban, 39, died with her ward, five-year-old Hannah, in the inferno at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate, which killed at least 160 people and displaced more than 4,000 residents. Ten domestic workers – Esteban and nine Indonesians – were among the fatalities... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336349/filipino-helper-killed-hong-kong-fire-was-going-home-good-be-son?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3336349/filipino-helper-killed-hong-kong-fire-was-going-home-good-be-son?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Dec 2025 14:34:36 +0000 Denise Tsang,Fiona Sun Denise Tsang,Fiona Sun The death toll from Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades has risen to 160 after another resident of the inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po was confirmed as a fatality, the city’s police chief has said, with six people still missing. Commissioner of Police Joe Chow Yat-ming also said on Tuesday that the next stage of recovery work would involve removing bamboo scaffolding to search for bodies at the estate, which had been undergoing extensive renovations when disaster struck. He... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335765/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-rises-160-dna-tests-show-1-more-perished?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335765/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-rises-160-dna-tests-show-1-more-perished?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:49:26 +0000 Mary Ann Benitez Mary Ann Benitez An Indonesian domestic helper has recalled how she and her employer’s elderly parents huddled together in a smoke-filled bedroom for an agonising three hours, covering their noses with wet towels as they lay trapped while a deadly inferno engulfed a Hong Kong estate last month. The helper, who gave her name as Olive, recalled to the Post the ordeal the trio went through on November 26, as the devastating fire swept through seven of the eight residential high-rise blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335516/indonesian-helpers-terrifying-3-hour-ordeal-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-estate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335516/indonesian-helpers-terrifying-3-hour-ordeal-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-estate?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 12:01:48 +0000 Denise Tsang,Fiona Sun Denise Tsang,Fiona Sun Construction firms began removing scaffold netting from buildings across Hong Kong on Thursday to meet a three-day government-imposed deadline following the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. Authorities also doubled a living allowance for households at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and promised to help its residents with long-term housing issues. To meet Saturday’s deadline, contractors at more than 200 buildings under renovation started taking down scaffolding mesh to allay public... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335227/hong-kong-double-living-allowance-tai-po-fire-hit-households-hk100000?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335227/hong-kong-double-living-allowance-tai-po-fire-hit-households-hk100000?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Dec 2025 11:26:00 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing Hong Kong’s property management watchdog has vowed to rigorously follow up on any suspected breaches over the Wang Fuk Court fire that has claimed 159 lives, even as the estate manager described its role as confined to providing administrative support and managing day-to-day security services. In reply to the Post’s queries, the Property Management Services Authority said on Wednesday that under its Code of Conduct, licensed managers were required to follow up in a timely manner with the engaged... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335109/property-manager-hong-kong-fire-case-defends-admin-role-watchdog-disagrees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3335109/property-manager-hong-kong-fire-case-defends-admin-role-watchdog-disagrees?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:22:20 +0000 Jess Ma Jess Ma Hazy air laced with a pungent odour, dark rooms filled with debris, bodies that had to be carefully extracted by hand. The discovery of a dead child. The head of the police team responsible for the search of the Hong Kong residential complex destroyed in an inferno gave an account on Wednesday of the harrowing conditions they faced inside the seven towers as work came to an end. The task of checking the more than 1,000 flats at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po was both physically and emotionally... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3335108/digging-through-hong-kongs-disaster-site-left-them-wanting-cry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3335108/digging-through-hong-kongs-disaster-site-left-them-wanting-cry?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 16:15:24 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 159 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters About 30 people remain unaccounted for HK$2.3 billion raised for rescue and relief efforts The eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing renovations since July... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334969/residents-block-return-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-estate-collect-personal-items?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334969/residents-block-return-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-estate-collect-personal-items?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Dec 2025 01:04:01 +0000 Lam Ka-sing,Edith Lin Lam Ka-sing,Edith Lin Hong Kong’s worst blaze in seven decades has exposed an ugly open secret of a murky and rapacious building renovation business that is plagued by bid-rigging and skyrocketing costs even as it staves off feeble official efforts to tackle collusive conduct. Experts and former insiders offered this grim assessment, pointing to the city as a gold mine for such syndicates given its ageing stock of high-rise properties ripe for renovation. They made a collective call for an overhaul of the industry as... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334964/whole-market-rotten-hong-kong-fire-exposes-greedy-building-renovation-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334964/whole-market-rotten-hong-kong-fire-exposes-greedy-building-renovation-business?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 23:00:18 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Nearly a week into the Tai Po fire tragedy, the Hong Kong government yesterday made two key announcements on the way forward. An independent review committee will be established to look into the deadly inferno and the relevant issues. The Legislative Council elections will be held on Sunday as scheduled. Isolated as they may seem, the two decisions are seen as important steps by the government to steer investigations and reforms in the immediate and longer term. The committee, to be led by a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334917/independent-probe-fire-and-legco-poll-go-ahead-important-steps-forward?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334917/independent-probe-fire-and-legco-poll-go-ahead-important-steps-forward?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 22:45:08 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has ordered the setting up of a judge-led independent review committee on the blaze that engulfed a Tai Po residential estate while formally announcing that the Legislative Council election will go ahead on Sunday as scheduled. The death toll from the inferno that swept through seven of the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court last Wednesday rose to 156 after five more bodies were found on Tuesday. Of the total, 127 victims have been identified, while about... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334962/judge-led-panel-probe-deadly-blaze-hong-kong-goes-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334962/judge-led-panel-probe-deadly-blaze-hong-kong-goes-ahead-election?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:13:26 +0000 Lam Ka-sing,Vivian Au,Denise Tsang Lam Ka-sing,Vivian Au,Denise Tsang A global property management giant engaged to oversee the tender for fire safety and serve as the interface between residents and renovation contractors at Hong Kong’s ill-fated Wang Fuk Court estate broke its silence on Monday to offer condolences, but declined to comment on its involvement. ISS EastPoint, a subsidiary of Denmark-based ISS, was among the key parties that played a pivotal role in the HK$330 million (US$42.4 million) renovation of the residential complex, which was ravaged last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334814/what-role-property-management-firm-iss-hong-kong-estate-ravaged-deadly-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334814/what-role-property-management-firm-iss-hong-kong-estate-ravaged-deadly-blaze?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 00:30:08 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying Lo Hoi-ying This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. Investigators have found substandard protective nets that were not flame retardant, deliberately concealed by the contractors responsible for renovation work, at the high-rise blocks where Hong Kong’s worst inferno in seven decades devastated a Tai Po housing estate last week. The death... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334764/substandard-netting-found-have-been-used-hong-kong-blaze-buildings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334764/substandard-netting-found-have-been-used-hong-kong-blaze-buildings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 09:06:16 +0000 Denise Tsang Denise Tsang For 17 odd years as a pastor, Reverend Jenny Lam Yat-kwan witnessed life and death and helped those in despair, but after losing three members of her family in the devastating Tai Po fire in Hong Kong, she needed all the courage and strength she could draw from God. Lam, the pastor of ELCHK Diamond Lutheran Church, told the Post on Sunday night that the three family members were confirmed dead, with their bodies recovered from one of the buildings in Wang Fuk Court. The tragic loss plunged her... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334694/hong-kong-pastor-loses-3-loved-ones-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334694/hong-kong-pastor-loses-3-loved-ones-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Dec 2025 00:30:18 +0000 Ada Li Ada Li A Filipino domestic worker who fled Hong Kong’s deadly inferno with her employers’ three-year-old daughter in her arms has expressed regret that she was unable to persuade a neighbour who perished in the blaze to also try to escape. Reinalyn Niere, who arrived in the city last year, said she was asleep with the child in the family’s third-floor flat in Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court when disaster struck at the housing estate on Wednesday afternoon. The child’s parents were at work at the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334691/filipino-helper-who-fled-hong-kong-fire-girl-3-anguished-over-dead-neighbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334691/filipino-helper-who-fled-hong-kong-fire-girl-3-anguished-over-dead-neighbour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:00:44 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 146 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters Around 40 people deemed to be missing; about 100 cases categorised as “unresolvable” The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334650/mourners-gather-hong-kong-fire-site-1500-residents-relocated?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334650/mourners-gather-hong-kong-fire-site-1500-residents-relocated?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Nov 2025 04:05:27 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung More than 600 officers from the Hong Kong police force’s Disaster Victim Identification Unit (DVIU) searched two fire-ravaged blocks of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po without finding any more bodies on Saturday. The death toll from the blaze remains at 128, but 150 people are still unaccounted for. Dressed in white full-body protective gear, the DVIU officers went through Wang Yan House and Wang Tao House and collected evidence to confirm the identities of victims. No bodies... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334645/hong-kong-fire-disaster-brings-victim-id-units-grim-task-back-focus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334645/hong-kong-fire-disaster-brings-victim-id-units-grim-task-back-focus?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 17:30:41 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Ambrose Li Matthew Cheng,Ambrose Li As Hong Kong reels from its deadliest fire in decades, a highly visible community of foreigners is also in mourning as it awaits for news of the fate of nearly 80 of its own who remain missing. They are the domestic helpers who remain unaccounted for five days after the blaze, among more than 200 working in Wang Fuk Court, the site of the inferno that has claimed at least 128 lives. Seven Indonesians and a Filipino were confirmed dead, while three others were injured, according to the consulates... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334629/portraits-courage-helpers-who-stayed-their-wards-during-hong-kong-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334629/portraits-courage-helpers-who-stayed-their-wards-during-hong-kong-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 12:59:43 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong As despair draped the air and hopes dimmed for the scores still unaccounted for, one scene stood out on the second night after Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades: volunteers forming long human chains next to the charred buildings in Tai Po, passing on supplies hand to hand. These volunteers – mobilised mostly through social media and chat groups – moved the supplies contributed by individuals and businesses to where hundreds of affected residents were staying temporarily. Working tirelessly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334621/we-are-you-hour-need-volunteers-rally-help-hong-kong-fire-displaced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334621/we-are-you-hour-need-volunteers-rally-help-hong-kong-fire-displaced?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 11:00:28 +0000 Lam Ka-sing Lam Ka-sing This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. A hotelier is drawing on her experience sheltering survivors of London’s Grenfell Tower disaster to spearhead a relief operation at a former Covid-19 isolation centre in Hong Kong as she races to source 700 beds for families displaced by the Wang Fuk Court fire. Winnie Chiu Wing-kwan, the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334608/hotelier-races-shelter-hong-kong-fire-victims-using-grenfell-disaster-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334608/hotelier-races-shelter-hong-kong-fire-victims-using-grenfell-disaster-lessons?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 06:40:43 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Get faster notifications on the latest updates by downloading our app. What we know so far: 128 people, including a firefighter, confirmed dead 79 injured, including 12 firefighters Status of 150 people unclear The eight residential blocks in the estate had been undergoing renovations since July 2024, covered in bamboo scaffolding and green... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334598/hongkongers-mourn-fire-victims-citywide-condolence-points-toll-128?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334598/hongkongers-mourn-fire-victims-citywide-condolence-points-toll-128?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 03:02:40 +0000 Elizabeth Cheung Elizabeth Cheung The government should take the lead in assessing the structural safety of the estate engulfed by Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades before deciding whether it should be restored or redeveloped, experts have said, warning of liability problems and a long road ahead. The future of Wang Fuk Court, where a massive fire raged through seven of its eight blocks for more than 43 hours before largely being put out, remains uncertain, with residents taking shelter or moving into temporary housing arranged... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334585/difficult-say-if-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-buildings-can-be-fixed-experts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334585/difficult-say-if-fire-ravaged-hong-kong-buildings-can-be-fixed-experts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Nov 2025 02:30:07 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The world stands with Hong Kong at this difficult time, with condolences and support streaming in from mainland China and foreign countries as the city’s deadliest high-rise building inferno was finally brought under control on Friday. The Tai Po fire tragedy has also drawn the city closer together as donations and relief aid for victims and survivors mount. The process of healing and rebuilding will be long and requires concerted and sustainable efforts from all sides. The blaze, which started... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334521/hong-kong-must-stay-united-long-road-recovery-tai-po-fire-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334521/hong-kong-must-stay-united-long-road-recovery-tai-po-fire-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 23:15:14 +0000 Wynna Wong,Ambrose Li,Willa Wu,Mike Chan,Natalie Wong,Fiona Sun,Jess Ma Wynna Wong,Ambrose Li,Willa Wu,Mike Chan,Natalie Wong,Fiona Sun,Jess Ma The death toll from Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in seven decades climbed to more than 100 on Friday as the government announced a three-day official mourning period from Saturday for victims of the blaze. National and Hong Kong flags at all its buildings and facilities will fly at half-mast until Monday, with officials cancelling all non-essential public engagements, and government-endorsed celebratory events delayed or cancelled. Residents can also pen their condolences in books placed across... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334587/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-climbs-128-city-prepares-mourning-period?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334587/death-toll-hong-kong-fire-climbs-128-city-prepares-mourning-period?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 18:19:03 +0000 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters William Li, 40, is one of the survivors of Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy. The deadliest inferno in decades set seven blocks in the Wang Fuk Court residential complex ablaze, claiming at least 128 lives as of Friday. Li was rescued from Wang Cheong House – the block that first caught fire – on Wednesday evening. Here is a translation of his personal account, which was first put up on his Facebook account. On the day of the incident, I was resting at home. When I was informed of the fire through... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334569/helplessness-more-suffocating-smoke-survivors-hong-kong-fire-ordeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334569/helplessness-more-suffocating-smoke-survivors-hong-kong-fire-ordeal?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 13:44:01 +0000 Vivian Au,Jess Ma Vivian Au,Jess Ma Excessive heat and raging flames that engulfed a Tai Po estate in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires posed the biggest challenges for firefighters, experts have said, as they dismissed suggestions that height limitations of aerial ladders had added to the blaze’s severity. They were responding to widespread online speculation that the severity of the highest No 5 fire alarm blaze stemmed from limitations in the Fire Services Department’s ladder apparatus and a reluctance to ask for help from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334430/hong-kong-blazes-heat-flames-main-challenges-rescuers-not-ladder-limits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3334430/hong-kong-blazes-heat-flames-main-challenges-rescuers-not-ladder-limits?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:27 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial A blaze that cannot be contained in one tower is a nightmare scenario for a high-rise city. In an extreme case, it can spread to companion towers like a firestorm. It happened to Hong Kong on Wednesday night. The catastrophic consequences of the city’s deadliest fire in decades are still being counted in the numbers of dead, injured, missing and homeless after the Tai Po public housing estate inferno. Our first thoughts must be with the grieving families. President Xi Jinping, on Wednesday... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334407/community-effort-needed-help-survivors-and-those-who-lost-loved-ones-tai-po-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3334407/community-effort-needed-help-survivors-and-those-who-lost-loved-ones-tai-po-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Nov 2025 22:45:07 +0000