Hong Kong leader apologises for deadly fire
Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on Nov. 26, 2025. AFP-Yonhap
HONG KONG — Hong Kong leader John Lee apologised on Thursday for a deadly fire that killed 168 people, and the city's housing minister resigned after a report found the government partially responsible for the disaster.
The November 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court was the world's deadliest residential building blaze since 1980 and engulfed several residential tower blocks.
Public pressure for government accountability has grown since then, with calls for Lee and top officials to resign.
Lee and seven other top city officials bowed and apologised at a news conference on the report concluding a months-long inquiry into the fire.
"I am deeply saddened. I would like to apologise to the affected residents and the general public," Lee said.
The city's housing minister, Winnie Ho, who resigned from her post, should "bear political responsibility," Lee added.
Four government bodies, including the fire services department, "should bear part of the responsibility for the high casualties caused by this tragic fire," the report released by authorities on Thursday said.
The Housing Bureau's Independent Checking Unit "should bear a greater share of responsibility," it added.
People watch as smoke rises from apartments after a major fire swept through several blocks at the Wang Fuk Court residential estate in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on Nov. 27, 2025. AFP-Yonhap
'Perfect storm'
The apartment complex was a home to more than 4,600 residents, 1,700 of them over the age of 65. Of those who died, 114 people — or about 70 percent — were aged 65 or older.
Almost all fire safety measures failed that day because of "human errors," the judge-led inquiry committee heard earlier this year.
Authorities have filed charges, including manslaughter, against seven individuals and two companies over their roles in the fire. At least 35 people have been arrested.
On Thursday, the government said regulators were "deceived" by contractors, who "are the main culprits responsible for the occurrence of the inferno and the high fatalities in the tragic incident."
The report said a number of contractors "conducted no substantive work and were only asked to lend their names to rubber-stamp statutory forms in return for a fee."
But officials said the incident was a "perfect storm" exposing the worst parts of the various regulatory regimes relating to fire safety issues concerning the city's building maintenance sites.
The November fire was the result of "the faults and deliberate misconduct of various individuals from the private sector and decades of failure" by the government and bodies responsible for construction, fire safety engineering and building management, the report said.
It said the fire "was most likely caused by a glowing source, likely a cigarette, which ignited paper materials on the flat roof outside."
An aerial photo taken on Oct. 21 shows Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong, almost a year after a massive fire at the complex that claimed 168 lives, one of the worst in the city's history. AFP-Yonhap
The government, it added, failed to "appreciate and address the danger and the likely risk of a devastating fire when the buildings are undergoing major building maintenance renovation works."
Lee told reporters on Thursday that authorities have proposed "systematic reforms" to prevent similar incidents in the future.
They include establishing a criminal offence targeting bid-rigging, which is the "root of the problems" in building maintenance projects.
Lee said "administrative accountability" would be pursued within three months.
Prosecutors have alleged construction companies used non-flame-retardant materials to cut costs.