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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

Latest news and updates on the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district that killed 168 people, including a firefighter. Scores of people were also hurt.

Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po

Bank of China account: 012 8752 190 1597

Hong Kong Red Cross

https://www.redcross.org.hk/en/index.html

Operation Santa Claus Emergency Appeal

https://oschk.org/

Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui Welfare Council

https://www.skhwc.org.hk/en/

Hong Kong Family Welfare Society

https://www.hkfws.org.hk/en/home

Po Leung Kuk

https://www.poleungkuk.org.hk/en

Feeding Hong Kong

https://feedinghk.org/

Wang Fuk Court was engulfed in flames last Novembe. Under the current arrangement, displaced residents can send at most four people to retrieve their belongings for up to three hours. Photo: Sam Tsang

Hong Kong

380 Wang Fuk Court households seek second visit to collect belongings

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk says authorities will assess requests after first round of visits from April 20 to May 4.

3 hours ago

Hong Kong

Hong Kong proposes mandatory renovation briefings to combat bid-rigging

11 Apr 2026 - 7:09PM

Accidents and personal safety

Tai Po blaze: no fire risk checks done for HK$336 million estate renovation

10 Apr 2026 - 10:02PM

Hong Kong

Hong Kong authorities spend HK$34 million on Tai Po fire recovery works

Expenditure mainly covers removal of dangerous scaffolding and nets, and support to police and other departments in clearing debris.

10 Apr 2026 - 6:31PM

Hong Kong

Day 10 of probe: fire department admits delays, ‘inadequate’ safety checks

Assistant director of Fire Services Department says shutting down fire systems not necessary for draining rooftop tanks.

10 Apr 2026 - 6:05PM

Hong Kong courts

Cook jailed for 11 months over selling account used to dupe Tai Po fire donors

Cham Shu-shing also fined HK$4,500 for selling Alipay digital wallet to scammers, knowing it would be used for illegal purposes.

9 Apr 2026 - 6:56PM

Hong Kong

Alleged petition forgery investigated as Wang Fuk Court rebuild plan rejected

Property owners had organised petition and emailed Hop On Management Company to raise concerns and request owners’ meeting.

9 Apr 2026 - 10:42PM

The fire at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court last November destroyed all but one of its eight buildings, killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong fires and safety

Tai Po blaze: no fire safety system checks before firm sent 85 shutdown notices

Fire services company also concedes it acted as ‘rubber stamp’ for renovation contractor, during hearing into deadly inferno.

8 Apr 2026 - 10:36PM

Hong Kong society

Some Wang Fuk Court residents float ‘profit-making’ in-situ rebuilding plan

Proposal calls for rebuilding half of estate’s eight blocks with higher plot ratio, suggesting government can earn HK$6.4 billion.

8 Apr 2026 - 10:50PM

Hong Kong

Tai Po probe: no on-site checks by firm due to ‘busy’ schedule – as it happened

Director of contractor responsible for estate’s fire services equipment suspects workers drew water from tanks, calling it a serious problem.

8 Apr 2026 - 6:31PM

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po. Photo: Jelly Tse

Mainland China

‘Wang Fuk Court briefing to give residents answers before decisions are made’

Home affairs chief Alice Mak says issues can be more easily addressed at briefing, allowing residents to understand the details better.

7 Apr 2026 - 7:24PM

The inferno broke out at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court on November 26 last year, claiming 168 lives and displacing nearly 5,000 residents. Photo: Dickson Lee

Hong Kong society

Talk about death comes alive in ageing Hong Kong

Minimal Funeral founder Pasu Ng says people more willing to discuss death in wake of the Covid pandemic, mass emigration and deadly Tai Po fire.

5 Apr 2026 - 11:25PM

Hong Kong society

‘From big renovation to big burial’: Wang Fuk Court residents mourn on Ching Ming

Day dedicated to sweeping graves and honouring dead marked across Hong Kong, but tradition proves painful for survivors of deadly blaze in Tai Po.

5 Apr 2026 - 11:31PM

Hong Kong fires and safety

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.

5 Apr 2026 - 2:30PMvideocam

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

Seeking answers to a tragedy Hong Kong could have avoided

A multimedia guide to the Tai Po fire

4 Apr 2026 - 2:20PM

Seeking answers to a tragedy Hong Kong could have avoided

A multimedia guide to the Tai Po fire

10 Apr 2026 - 12:42PM

Crime in Hong Kong

Editorial | Moves to clean up Hong Kong building renovation sector can’t come too soon

Crackdowns by the ICAC and Competition Commission are a timely reminder of Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance approach to corruption.

4 Apr 2026 - 7:15AM

Hong Kong society

Operation Santa Claus: Maxim’s ramps up fundraising for Tai Po fire victims

Restaurant conglomerate also encourages employees and their families to volunteer at elderly care homes to foster a stronger sense of community.

3 Apr 2026 - 6:25PM

Chefs with participants of Maxim’s Gentlemeal soft meal programme for elderly people with difficulties swallowing. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong

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

Senior staff of property management firm ISS EastPoint declined to testify, hearing also told.

3 Apr 2026 - 1:05AMvideocam

Hong Kong

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

Next phase of hearing, consisting of six sessions, will start on April 8.

2 Apr 2026 - 5:40PM

Hong Kong

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’.

2 Apr 2026 - 3:37AM

Witnesses from property management company ISS EastPoint leave the hearing after Wednesday morning’s session. Photo: Karma Lo

Hong Kong society

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.

2 Apr 2026 - 1:17AM

The fire at Wang Fuk Court killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 more. Photo: Sam Tsang

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.

1 Apr 2026 - 7:15AM

Hong Kong

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.

1 Apr 2026 - 2:52AM

Hong Kong

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.

31 Mar 2026 - 5:16PM

The catastrophic fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po killed 168 and displaced about 5,000 residents. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong

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.

31 Mar 2026 - 12:29AM

Wong Kin-wa (right), an electrical worker for Victory Fire Engineering, testified on Monday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Hong Kong fires and safety

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’.

30 Mar 2026 - 8:17PM

Legislative Council of Hong Kong

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.

30 Mar 2026 - 7:55PM

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Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire tragedy

380 Wang Fuk Court households seek second visit to collect belongings

Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk says authorities will assess requests after first round of visits from April 20 to May 4.

Hong Kong proposes mandatory renovation briefings to combat bid-rigging

Tai Po blaze: no fire risk checks done for HK$336 million estate renovation

Hong Kong authorities spend HK$34 million on Tai Po fire recovery works

Expenditure mainly covers removal of dangerous scaffolding and nets, and support to police and other departments in clearing debris.

Day 10 of probe: fire department admits delays, ‘inadequate’ safety checks

Assistant director of Fire Services Department says shutting down fire systems not necessary for draining rooftop tanks.

Cook jailed for 11 months over selling account used to dupe Tai Po fire donors

Cham Shu-shing also fined HK$4,500 for selling Alipay digital wallet to scammers, knowing it would be used for illegal purposes.

Alleged petition forgery investigated as Wang Fuk Court rebuild plan rejected

Property owners had organised petition and emailed Hop On Management Company to raise concerns and request owners’ meeting.

Tai Po blaze: no fire safety system checks before firm sent 85 shutdown notices

Fire services company also concedes it acted as ‘rubber stamp’ for renovation contractor, during hearing into deadly inferno.

Some Wang Fuk Court residents float ‘profit-making’ in-situ rebuilding plan

Proposal calls for rebuilding half of estate’s eight blocks with higher plot ratio, suggesting government can earn HK$6.4 billion.

Tai Po probe: no on-site checks by firm due to ‘busy’ schedule – as it happened

Director of contractor responsible for estate’s fire services equipment suspects workers drew water from tanks, calling it a serious problem.

‘Wang Fuk Court briefing to give residents answers before decisions are made’

Home affairs chief Alice Mak says issues can be more easily addressed at briefing, allowing residents to understand the details better.

Talk about death comes alive in ageing Hong Kong

Minimal Funeral founder Pasu Ng says people more willing to discuss death in wake of the Covid pandemic, mass emigration and deadly Tai Po fire.

‘From big renovation to big burial’: Wang Fuk Court residents mourn on Ching Ming

Day dedicated to sweeping graves and honouring dead marked across Hong Kong, but tradition proves painful for survivors of deadly blaze in Tai Po.

.css-1pcrwvc{color:#2aa191;}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.

Seeking answers to a tragedy Hong Kong could have avoided

A multimedia guide to the Tai Po fire

Seeking answers to a tragedy Hong Kong could have avoided

A multimedia guide to the Tai Po fire

Editorial | Moves to clean up Hong Kong building renovation sector can’t come too soon

Crackdowns by the ICAC and Competition Commission are a timely reminder of Hong Kong’s zero-tolerance approach to corruption.

Operation Santa Claus: Maxim’s ramps up fundraising for Tai Po fire victims

Restaurant conglomerate also encourages employees and their families to volunteer at elderly care homes to foster a stronger sense of community.

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

Senior staff of property management firm ISS EastPoint declined to testify, hearing also told.

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

Next phase of hearing, consisting of six sessions, will start on April 8.

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’.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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’.

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.

Opinion | Tai Po fire hearings reveal broken promises to Hongkongers