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Hong Kong fires and safety

Hong Kong fires and safety
The latest news, analysis and opinion on Hong Kong fires and safety. In-depth analysis, industry insights and expert opinion.
Witnesses from ISS EastPoint Properties leave the City Gallery in Central following the morning session of the Wang Fuk Court fire hearing on April 1. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Opinion | Tai Po fire hearings reveal broken promises to Hongkongers

The hearings have exposed gaps in the enforcement of safety rules and an attitude of avoiding blame among government departments.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po blaze probe: property firm failed to identify, follow up on fire hazards

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Committee concludes first phase of Tai Po fire hearing - as it happened

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po probe: workers turned off fire safety system, disregarding regulations

Electrician tells hearing he followed an order to turn off main switches because he was ‘worried about a penalty at work’.

Witnesses from property management company ISS EastPoint leave the hearing after Wednesday morning’s session. Photo: Karma Lo
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po fire: estate manager questioned over fire alarm shutdown – as it happened

ISS EastPoint clerk also says authorised votes used in ballots deciding major issues at housing estate were never verified.

Hong Kong housing

Editorial | For Hong Kong fire survivors, returning to destroyed flats offers closure

It is good that the authorities are being more accomodating with regard to the scheduled visits for former residents to retrieve their belongings and say goodbye.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po blaze hearing: property management worker unaware fire alarms deactivated

Clerk tells hearing she knew hose reel system had been shut down for months but did not know alarms would also be deactivated.

ISS EastPoint clerk Lok Sin-ying (right) testified on Tuesday. Photo: Edmond So
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po probe: firm did not check fire systems since March 2025 – as it happened

Contract between Victory Fire and property management company ISS EastPoint stipulated that the safety system had to be inspected quarterly.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Fire alarm, pump systems switched off before tragedy, Tai Po blaze panel told

Electrical worker Wong Kin-wa says Wang Fuk Court office staff told him the switches were shut off for water tank repair work.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po fire survivors mourn heroine who alerted neighbours to flames

Pak Shui-lin’s husband, Sdanni Yip, and neighbour Lam Yin-ming say heroine, who died during fire, ‘did not deserve to suffer such a fate’.

Residents evacuate Wang Fuk Court on November 26. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Authorities rule out smoking areas at construction sites under proposed ban

Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui tells lawmakers that proposed smoking ban will apply to all areas of construction sites.

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The government is clamping down on smoking at construction sites following the Tai Po fire. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Hong Kong eases rules for Wang Fuk Court residents retrieving belongings

Displaced residents of fire-hit blocks may be allowed repeated trips to flats after authorities soften stance on three-hour limit.

Hong Kong courts

Editorial | Time to confront the uncomfortable truths about the Tai Po fire

Only by facing the problems head on and reforming systems can we truly do justice to the victims and survivors and protect public safety.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Residents of fire-hit Wang Fuk Court blocks can retrieve belongings from mid-April

Residents from seven of estate’s eight blocks will be able to return on select dates based on which housing tower they lived in.

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Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Photo: Jonathan Wong
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

2 bid-rigging syndicates ‘potentially linked’ to estate destroyed in Tai Po fire

Competition watchdog has not ruled out prospect that at least two syndicates linked to renovations at Wang Fuk Court, representative says.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court killed 168 people. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong society

7 injured, 4 critically, in fire at Hong Kong recycling yard

Bright orange flames and thick black smoke seen at Tai Po site after blast.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Tai Po fire hearing: government rejects assertions surveyors, contractor conspired

Authorities pledge full transparency in inquiry, pledging swift reviews and fair process without pre-empting conclusions.

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Residents say there was no alarm as Tai Po blaze broke out - as it happened

One witness breaks into tears as she recounts the chaos of smoke entering her flat, mistaking it for renovation dust before escaping.

Legal representatives return for the afternoon session on day three of the hearing. Photo: Elson Li
Accidents and personal safety

2 women climb out of window to flee Hong Kong building fire that injured 3 others

Police say they were alerted at 5.28pm of blaze at Yen Dack Building on Chun Yeung Street in North Point.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Residents of Tai Po blaze building misled over renovation project, inquiry told

Ties among companies bidding for work at Wang Fuk Court also suggest possible under-the-table relationships, independent committee hears.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Day 2 of Tai Po fire hearing sheds light on potential corruption – as it happened

Lead barrister for independent committee discusses potential corruption during tendering process, among other issues.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court last November killed 168 people. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Deadly Tai Po fire revealed ‘unacceptable systemic failings’, inquiry hears

Six ‘human factors’ led to almost complete failure of fire safety measures at Wang Fuk Court, independent committee told at first session.

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Seven blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po were devastated by the fire in November. Photo: Eugene Lee
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Firefighter killed in Tai Po blaze may have entered wrong building, inquiry told

Ho Wai-ho, 37, was among the first firefighters to arrive at the scene of the inferno.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Public hearing outlines 6 key failures behind Tai Po fire – as it happened

Lead barrister Victor Dawes says messages show substandard scaffolding mesh was used by contractors, while a cigarette ‘most likely’ caused the blaze.

Crime in Hong Kong

Woman wanted over possible illegal fuel truck that went up in flames

Truck reduced to a charred wreck at a car park on Container Port Road South in Kwai Chung.

The truck is engulfed by a fierce fire in Kwai Chung. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

21 Wang Fuk Court homeowners, residents to give evidence in fire probe

Independent committee set up to investigate deadly fire publishes list of 37 ‘involved parties’ ahead of hearings to collect evidence.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court killed 168 people. Photo: Jelly Tse
Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Over 300 Wang Fuk Court homeowners to petition Hong Kong’s John Lee for meeting

Owners demand face-to-face session to address concerns over remaining renovation funds, outstanding fees and building safety.

Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Wang Fuk Court residents in resettlement limbo slam ‘unhelpful’ engagement staff

Hongkongers displaced by Tai Po fire say they are frustrated with outreach officers’ failure to answer questions and explain rehousing options.

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