An independent committee investigating the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po, Hong Kong, heard on Thursday, July 16th, 2026, that the tragedy was the result of multiple layers of human failure.

The fire, which broke out on November 26th, 2025, lasted 43 hours, killed 168 people, and displaced 5,000 residents. It is the deadliest blaze in Hong Kong since 1948. The fire occurred amid a HK$336 million renovation project, selected by homeowners who voted for the most expensive option, raising suspicions of bid-rigging.

During the final round of hearings, the legal representative for nine residents of Wang Fuk Court delivered a concluding statement before the judge-led panel. Committee chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong noted that the government’s closing statement was over 400 pages long, while the committee’s own report, expected on Friday, exceeds 600 pages.

Wednesday’s session included testimonies from lawyers representing Wang Fuk Court’s management company ISS EastPoint, the Urban Renewal Authority, the Competition Commission, and Leung Ping-kay, director of fire safety equipment contractor China Status Development and Engineering. Written submissions were also received from Victory Fire and Engineering, the estate’s fire service installation annual inspection contractor, and the management committee of Wang Fuk Court’s owners’ corporation at the time of the fire.

The committee previously learned that the fire alarm system was switched off during the blaze. An ISS technician admitted to turning off the main switches controlling both the alarms and the firefighting pump while assisting renovation contractor Prestige Construction and Engineering in draining firefighting water tanks. Martin Ho Cheuk-hang, a lawyer representing ISS, described it as “pitiful” that an unqualified technician turned off the switch. He emphasized that the main issues were the absence of staff from China Status, the fire services contractor hired by Prestige, and Victory Fire’s failure to report irregularities.

The investigation continues to focus on the complex human and organizational failures that contributed to the tragedy.

Sources

South China Morning Post World