https://www.scmp.com/rss/510298/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A Labour Department official has told an inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po inferno that the temporary removal of fireproof windows from emergency passages in the blaze-hit estate complied with occupational safety protocols, triggering questions on whether the interests of workers and residents are at odds. The inquiry also heard on Tuesday that a department officer had misled Wang Fuk Court residents by claiming the fire resistance of renovation material was outside the purview of the law,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350910/tai-po-blaze-probe-temporary-removal-fireproof-windows-complied-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350910/tai-po-blaze-probe-temporary-removal-fireproof-windows-complied-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 12:32:49 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong labour authorities’ handling of Wang Fuk Court residents’ complaints and inspections at the renovation site were scrutinised by the independent committee on the 16th day of its evidential hearing. Officers from the Labour Department testified on Tuesday before the judge-led panel investigating the fire that engulfed all but one of the estate’s eight... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350809/tai-po-fire-probe-workers-might-have-smoked-despite-inspections-labour-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3350809/tai-po-fire-probe-workers-might-have-smoked-despite-inspections-labour-department-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 03:44:54 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has heard that authorities and representatives of Wang Fuk Court homeowners took no proactive steps against alleged vote rigging at the subsidised housing estate. Jason Kong Cheung-fat, a former management committee member of the owners’ corporation at Wang Fuk Court, said on Monday that the abuse of proxy votes was a long-standing problem that had enabled his predecessors to maintain a firm grip on power until they were ousted over a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350746/vote-rigging-wang-fuk-court-went-unchecked-deadly-fire-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350746/vote-rigging-wang-fuk-court-went-unchecked-deadly-fire-inquiry-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The third set of public evidential hearings into the deadly fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court began on Monday and concluded its 15th day of testimony in half a day. The sole witness to testify on the day, Jason Kong Cheung-fat, was re-elected into the owners’ corporation management committee as a member in September in 2024, when chairman Tang Kwok-kuen was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350661/tai-po-fire-probe-new-management-committee-failed-tackle-abuse-proxy-votes?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 03:46:01 +0000 Lo Hoi-ying,Jess Ma,Wynna Wong Lo Hoi-ying,Jess Ma,Wynna Wong Members of more than 70 former households of a fire-damaged block of Wang Fuk Court returned to their homes on Monday for the first time since a deadly inferno ravaged the estate last November to recover cherished items such as wedding rings, paintings and a safe. Three suspected cases of theft were also under investigation by police after Wang Sun House residents finished counting their losses on Monday. The block’s residents were the first to return to the estate in Tai Po as part of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350664/it-feels-complicated-wang-fuk-court-residents-return-home-bid-last-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350664/it-feels-complicated-wang-fuk-court-residents-return-home-bid-last-farewell?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:35:43 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung About 1,900 families who lived in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court will return in batches to their fire-ravaged homes from April 20. Nearly five months after the deadly blaze in Tai Po engulfed seven of the estate’s eight buildings, the government arranged for residents to visit the devastated flats to collect their belongings and bid farewell to their homes. According to Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, around 6,000 residents have booked slots to return, while 47 households opted out,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350618/returning-fire-ravaged-home-wang-fuk-court-what-prepare?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350618/returning-fire-ravaged-home-wang-fuk-court-what-prepare?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:23:14 +0000 Jess Ma,Emily Hung Jess Ma,Emily Hung For 66-year-old Ming Lee, the only way to get back to his flat in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court is by walking up 25 flights of stairs, after the deadly inferno at the housing estate last November destroyed seven of its eight buildings, including their lift systems. Undaunted by the physical toll required, the retiree will ascend Wang Yan House next week and bid a final farewell to his home of four decades. “I exercise regularly, but after the fire, my mood and physical condition both deteriorated,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350579/wang-fuk-court-residents-steel-themselves-emotional-return-site-deadly-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350579/wang-fuk-court-residents-steel-themselves-emotional-return-site-deadly-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 11:00:21 +0000 Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng The owners’ corporation of a Hong Kong housing complex devastated in the city’s deadliest fire in decades failed to convince renovation workers to use fire-resistant materials due to the absence of statutory requirements, a public inquiry heard. Tony Tsui Moon-come, chairman of the management committee of the incorporated owners of Wang Fuk Court at the time of the fire, said on Friday he and other residents were “helpless” when trying to compel contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350494/tai-po-fire-owners-group-repeatedly-protested-use-flammable-materials?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350494/tai-po-fire-owners-group-repeatedly-protested-use-flammable-materials?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 10:41:36 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong’s security chief has pledged to replace fax messaging between police and firefighters with a digital system and to increase phone lines at emergency call centres, after an inquiry into last year’s deadly Tai Po fire heard that callers waited up to 15 minutes to be transferred. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung’s remarks on Friday at a Legislative Council Finance Committee meeting followed the independent panel investigating last November’s blaze hearing evidence of a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350449/hong-kong-scrap-fax-messaging-between-police-and-fire-services-emergencies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350449/hong-kong-scrap-fax-messaging-between-police-and-fire-services-emergencies?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 08:27:10 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Brian Wong,Leopold Chen This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The hearing by an independent panel investigating the deadly Wang Fuk Court fire in Hong Kong entered its 14th day on Friday. The hearing focused on the role of the management committee of the owners’ corporation, with a former chairman of the body and a construction worker testifying. Tony Tsui Moon-come, chairman of the management committee at the time of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350390/no-cigarettes-allowed-and-no-one-seen-smoking-worker-tells-tai-po-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350390/no-cigarettes-allowed-and-no-one-seen-smoking-worker-tells-tai-po-fire-inquiry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 02:35:35 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Two renovation subcontractors involved in a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) project at a subsidised estate ravaged by Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades have conceded they did not regulate workers’ smoking behaviour before the inferno. The two engineering firms on Thursday also told an independent committee that they had partially replaced fireproof windows at Wang Fuk Court’s evacuation passages with movable wooden boards to allow workers’ easy access to scaffolding at the behest of main... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350318/we-failed-check-if-workers-smoked-wang-fuk-court-firms-tell-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350318/we-failed-check-if-workers-smoked-wang-fuk-court-firms-tell-fire-hearing?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 09:17:21 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. More Wang Fuk Court residents and senior staff at two engineering firms testified on Thursday for the 13th day of an evidential hearing into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. Justice David Lok Kai-hong, the committee chairman, said a day earlier that the body would avoid deciding for the time being on whether it would apply to the city leader to become a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350238/tai-po-fire-probe-resident-recalls-deaths-3-family-members-domestic-helper?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350238/tai-po-fire-probe-resident-recalls-deaths-3-family-members-domestic-helper?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:41:07 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen A Hong Kong fire services official has defended a decision to decline mainland Chinese firefighters’ help in combating the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, citing concerns that they might have been unable to immediately adapt to the new environment and effectively communicate with their local counterparts. On the 12th day of a public evidential hearing on Wednesday, Deputy Chief Fire Officer Sunny Wong Sze-lut also justified the firefighting strategies during the blaze that raged for around... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350191/hong-kong-official-defends-decision-decline-mainland-firefighters-help-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3350191/hong-kong-official-defends-decision-decline-mainland-firefighters-help-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:00:16 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,Brian Wong This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. A judge-led panel investigating the causes of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, which killed 168 people in Tai Po, concluded its 12th day of evidential hearings on Wednesday. Representatives from the Fire Services Department and police testified before the independent committee looking into the Wang Fuk Court blaze and the systemic problems it revealed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3350104/tai-po-probe-sees-ideal-progress-not-yet-time-commission-inquiry-chair?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:28:27 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Firefighters combating Hong Kong’s deadliest inferno 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. They highlighted the difficulties in rescuing residents trapped in their homes due to the flames’ rapid spread... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349916/firefighters-prioritised-tackling-blaze-over-rescues-tai-po-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349916/firefighters-prioritised-tackling-blaze-over-rescues-tai-po-probe-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 10:01:23 +0000 Leopold Chen,Brian Wong Leopold Chen,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, which claimed 168 lives at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, completed its 11th day of hearings on Monday. Four senior firefighters, who served as commanders during the Tai Po blaze, testified before the judge-led panel. Previous hearing sessions centred on the deactivation of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3349826/tai-po-probe-knowledge-defects-couldve-aided-response-firefighter-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:11:42 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin About 380 households from Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged housing estate in Tai Po have expressed a desire for a second visit to their homes to retrieve belongings, ahead of the first session starting from April 20, an official has said. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Sunday that dedicated social workers had notified more than 1,730 families from seven of the eight Wang Fuk Court towers about retrieving items between April 20 and May 4. Authorities expected 98 per cent of these... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349806/380-wang-fuk-court-households-seek-second-visit-collect-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349806/380-wang-fuk-court-households-seek-second-visit-collect-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:38:11 +0000 Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Brian Wong,Matthew Cheng Hong Kong authorities did not conduct a fire risk assessment of a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project at Wang Fuk Court before the city’s deadliest blaze in decades engulfed the housing estate, a public inquiry has heard. Sam Keung Sai-ming, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department’s licensing and certification branch, said on Friday that authorities did not pay special attention to fire hazards at residential estates undergoing large-scale maintenance before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349695/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-risk-checks-done-hk336-million-estate-renovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349695/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-risk-checks-done-hk336-million-estate-renovation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 13:43:16 +0000 Edith Lin Edith Lin Hong Kong housing authorities have spent HK$34 million (US$4.3 million) on recovery efforts following the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court, including removing damaged scaffolding, conducting structural assessments and strengthening works. The Housing Bureau said on Thursday evening that the expenditure was the main reason for the 22.1 per cent increase in the revised building control expense estimate for the 2025-26 financial year. “This is mainly due to the expenditure on follow-up works... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349625/hong-kong-authorities-spend-hk34-million-tai-po-fire-recovery-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349625/hong-kong-authorities-spend-hk34-million-tai-po-fire-recovery-works?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 06:41:04 +0000 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 A fire services company did not conduct any on-site inspections and merely acted as a “rubber stamp” in submitting 85 notices to shut down the hose reel system of a housing estate hit by Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades, an inquiry has heard. Separate testimony from a Fire Services Department official also noted that another contractor failed to notify authorities after discovering that Wang Fuk Court’s fire water tanks were drained and the main power switches for the fire hose reels and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349426/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-safety-system-checks-firm-sent-85-shutdown-notices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349426/tai-po-blaze-no-fire-safety-system-checks-firm-sent-85-shutdown-notices?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:16:47 +0000 Edith Lin,Emily Hung Edith Lin,Emily Hung A redevelopment proposal representing the interests of more than 400 fire-displaced residents has been submitted to the Hong Kong government, claiming that a partial redevelopment of Wang Fuk Court could generate a HK6.4 billion (US$816.7 million) surplus. The 47-page proposal, alongside two letters, was sent to the Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, housing minister Winnie Ho Wing-yin, and home... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349373/wang-fuk-court-administrator-rejects-request-hold-owners-meeting-email-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3349373/wang-fuk-court-administrator-rejects-request-hold-owners-meeting-email-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 08:32:37 +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 Alice Wu Alice Wu The independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades concluded the first round of hearings last week. It is essential that we get to the bottom of the human and systemic errors that led to the Tai Po inferno. There were many, as anticipated. Fragmentation of responsibility was rampant, which is probably expected for projects of this size with so many parties involved. If the government isn’t there to make sure that things are done properly, monitor and enforce the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348966/tai-po-fire-hearings-reveal-broken-promises-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3348966/tai-po-fire-hearings-reveal-broken-promises-hongkongers?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Apr 2026 06:30:08 +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 SCMP Reporters SCMP Reporters The seventh session of the independent inquiry into Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades focused on ISS EastPoint, the property management firm for Wang Fuk Court. The blaze, which started on November 26 last year and raged through seven of Wang Fuk Court’s eight towers for about 43 hours, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. ISS clerk Lok Sin-ying, who was stationed at the estate, resumed her testimony on Wednesday morning before the judge-led committee. On Tuesday, Lok told... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348599/hong-kong-inquiry-deadly-wang-fuk-court-fire-focuses-property-manager?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3348599/hong-kong-inquiry-deadly-wang-fuk-court-fire-focuses-property-manager?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Apr 2026 02:26:41 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The Tai Po blaze in November has left a deep scar on Hong Kong – not only because of the heavy loss of life and property, but also because of the sense of displacement among those who watched helplessly as their homes went up in flames. Meanwhile, the government continues to deal with the aftermath, including the daunting challenge of arranging for thousands of survivors to return to their fire-ravaged flats to retrieve belongings and bid farewell to their homes and to loved ones who... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348523/hong-kong-fire-survivors-returning-destroyed-flats-offers-closure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3348523/hong-kong-fire-survivors-returning-destroyed-flats-offers-closure?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 23:15:10 +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 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. Public hearings by a judge-led independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades entered their sixth day and focused on the deactivation of the fire alarm systems at the Wang Fuk Court housing estate. Chung Kit-man, director and engineer of Victory Fire Engineering, the contractor responsible for the estate’s fire services equipment,... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3348467/tai-po-fire-hearing-contractor-admits-negligence-over-problems-water-tanks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/article/3348467/tai-po-fire-hearing-contractor-admits-negligence-over-problems-water-tanks?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 31 Mar 2026 03:16:16 +0000 Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Matthew Cheng,Leopold Chen Fire alarm and firefighting pump systems at the housing estate engulfed in Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades were found to have been switched off a week before the tragedy struck, with no action taken to reactivate them, an evidential hearing has been told. An independent committee investigating the Tai Po blaze, which broke out on November 26 last year and killed 168 people, on Monday also called on the public to provide information on whether systemic problems – such as collusion – had... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348444/fire-alarm-pump-systems-switched-tragedy-tai-po-blaze-panel-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348444/fire-alarm-pump-systems-switched-tragedy-tai-po-blaze-panel-told?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 14:32:19 +0000 Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng Leopold Chen,Matthew Cheng Survivors of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades have mourned a woman who heroically knocked on neighbours’ doors to alert them to the flames but died in the tragedy, after fire alarms at Wang Fuk Court failed to go off. Pak Shui-lin’s husband, Sdanni Yip Ka-kui, and neighbour Lam Yin-ming, both Wang Tai House residents, praised the heroine for her kindness, but said that “she did not deserve to suffer such a fate”. They made the remarks on Monday as they testified at the fifth session of an... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348431/tai-po-fire-survivors-mourn-heroine-who-alerted-neighbours-flames?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348431/tai-po-fire-survivors-mourn-heroine-who-alerted-neighbours-flames?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 12:17:00 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Hong Kong labour authorities have ruled out setting up designated smoking areas under a proposed ban on lighting up at construction sites due to “enforcement difficulties”, while pledging to deploy drones with heat sensors to strengthen inspections. Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui Chark-shum also said on Monday that the planned smoking ban – which was proposed in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire last November – would apply to all areas of construction sites, replacing the existing restrictions... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3348427/authorities-rule-out-smoking-areas-construction-sites-under-proposed-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3348427/authorities-rule-out-smoking-areas-construction-sites-under-proposed-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 11:55:23 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Displaced residents of the fire-hit blocks at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court may be allowed repeated trips back to their flats to collect belongings, after officials softened their stance amid an online petition appealing for greater flexibility. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Monday that residents who wished to go back and forth to pack their belongings could speak to their designated social workers. “We appreciate that residents do not want a ‘one-size-fits-all’ arrangement.... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348401/hong-kong-eases-rules-wang-fuk-court-residents-retrieving-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348401/hong-kong-eases-rules-wang-fuk-court-residents-retrieving-belongings?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 30 Mar 2026 09:35:11 +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 Ng Kang-chung,Fiona Chow,Vivian Au Ng Kang-chung,Fiona Chow,Vivian Au Displaced residents from the seven fire-ravaged blocks of Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court will be allowed to return to their flats for up to three hours to collect their personal belongings, with the first group to return on April 20. Authorities said on Friday that each household could register up to four people to return to a flat, who would be accompanied by police officers, government social workers and support staff. They added that there would be a “very slim” chance that residents of Wang Chi... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348176/residents-fire-hit-wang-fuk-court-blocks-can-retrieve-belongings-mid-april?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348176/residents-fire-hit-wang-fuk-court-blocks-can-retrieve-belongings-mid-april?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:40:12 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong At least two bid-rigging syndicates could be linked to the HK$336 million (US$43 million) renovation bid for a housing estate destroyed in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades, a lawyer for the competition watchdog has said at the fourth session of an evidential hearing. Lester Lee Hiu-leung, the Competition Commission’s executive director for legal services, also said on Thursday that the watchdog had not ruled out applying to the Competition Tribunal for damages from Will Power Architects... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348041/2-bid-rigging-syndicates-potentially-linked-estate-destroyed-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3348041/2-bid-rigging-syndicates-potentially-linked-estate-destroyed-tai-po-fire?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:48:40 +0000 Jess Ma,Danny Mok Jess Ma,Danny Mok Seven people have been injured, four critically, in a fire and explosions at a recycling yard in Hong Kong, forcing the evacuation of 300 people, including students and teachers on a nearby school trip. The blaze broke out at 11.01am on Thursday in a recycling yard at the junction of Ting Kok Road and Fung Yuen Road in Tai Po district. According to the Fire Services Department, it started in a scrap metal compactor housed inside a two-storey iron-sheet structure. The department deployed two... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347947/explosion-hong-kong-recycling-yard-injures-2?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347947/explosion-hong-kong-recycling-yard-injures-2?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 04:53:26 +0000 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu Brian Wong,Leopold Chen,Oscar Liu A lawyer for the Hong Kong government has rejected “groundless” assertions that its surveyors conspired with a renovation contractor at the centre of the city’s deadliest fire in decades to conceal flammable materials used at the site, suggesting the firm did not have enough time to plan a deception before a crucial inspection. But Jenkin Suen SC on Tuesday acknowledged the need for authorities to review their shortcomings in supervising minor construction works and handling complaints after... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347757/government-rejects-suggestions-surveyor-conspired-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347757/government-rejects-suggestions-surveyor-conspired-contractor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 14:24:32 +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 a fire that killed 168 people at a Hong Kong housing estate held its third public hearing on Tuesday, with three residents testifying after a government lawyer delivered an opening statement. Leung Ho-hin, Tse Yuk-wa and Ko Yee-lui were identified as the first three witnesses in the series of evidential hearings into the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347652/residents-testify-hearing-deadly-tai-po-fire-enters-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347652/residents-testify-hearing-deadly-tai-po-fire-enters-third-day?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 02:13:00 +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 Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Brian Wong,Leopold Chen Residents of a housing complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires were misled into picking a convicted contractor for the estate’s renovation project amid “widespread” bid-rigging and other corruption in the construction industry, a public hearing has been told. The judge-led independent committee also heard on Friday that an engineering consultant allegedly accepted a monthly stipend to “rubber stamp” tender evaluation reports, including one recommending Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347387/residents-tai-po-blaze-building-misled-over-renovation-project-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347387/residents-tai-po-blaze-building-misled-over-renovation-project-inquiry-told?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 14:59:36 +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. A public evidential hearing into a devastating fire that engulfed a residential complex in Hong Kong and killed 168 people entered its second day on Friday. Victor Dawes SC, lead barrister for an independent judge-led committee overseeing the hearing, continued his opening speech, a day after he cited a preliminary investigation report that the tragedy was... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347228/hearing-deadly-tai-po-fire-enters-second-day?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347228/hearing-deadly-tai-po-fire-enters-second-day?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 20 Mar 2026 01:59:49 +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 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. The first session of a public evidential hearing into a fire that engulfed a residential complex in Hong Kong and killed 168 people began on Thursday, nearly four months after the disaster. Ordered by the city’s leader and overseen by a judge-led independent committee, the hearings are meant to “clarify the relevant facts through oral evidence, written... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347090/public-hearings-begin-who-responsible-deadly-tai-po-fire-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3347090/public-hearings-begin-who-responsible-deadly-tai-po-fire-tragedy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 01:24:23 +0000 Danny Mok Danny Mok Hong Kong authorities are searching for a woman believed to own a truck that burst into flames in Kwai Chung, with the vehicle suspected of having been converted to carry up to 2,000 litres of black-market fuel. The Fire Services Department received a report shortly after 2pm that the truck was ablaze at a car park on Container Port Road South in Kwai Chung. Witnesses said explosions were heard as the vehicle was engulfed in flames, with smoke billowing high above the area and visible across... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346895/authorities-look-link-illegal-fuel-operations-truck-goes-flames?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3346895/authorities-look-link-illegal-fuel-operations-truck-goes-flames?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:34:26 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen Fourteen members of the former owners’ corporation of blaze-hit Wang Fuk Court along with seven residents have been named to give evidence at an independent probe into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. They are among 37 named in a list released on Tuesday by the independent committee investigating the deadly Tai Po blaze, ahead of the first of eight hearings into the tragedy. The first hearing will take place on Thursday, while the last is scheduled for April 2. “The committee will also... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346891/21-wang-fuk-court-homeowners-residents-give-evidence-fire-probe?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346891/21-wang-fuk-court-homeowners-residents-give-evidence-fire-probe?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Mar 2026 09:21:14 +0000 Emily Hung Emily Hung More than 300 homeowners from the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po have signed a petition to be sent to Hong Kong’s leader, demanding a face-to-face meeting with the government-appointed Hop On Management Company over unresolved issues. The letter to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, obtained by the South China Morning Post on Sunday, bore 336 signatures and raised concerns in seven areas. These include the use of remaining renovation funds, the handling of outstanding management fees and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346679/over-300-wang-fuk-court-homeowners-petition-hong-kongs-john-lee-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3346679/over-300-wang-fuk-court-homeowners-petition-hong-kongs-john-lee-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Mar 2026 14:22:48 +0000