The probe of Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades begins hearings

HONG KONG (AP) - An independent committee investigating the cause of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades heard accounts Thursday about how a series of failures contributed to the 2025 blaze that engulfed seven buildings and killed 168 people as hearings in the case got underway.

Former residents and relatives of the dead have been waiting for answers since November 2025, when the fire shattered the close-knit community of Wang Fuk Court, which housed thousands of people in the suburban district of Tai Po.

In his opening remarks, committee lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the most likely cause of the fire was cigarettes that lit other materials on fire on a platform in an air shaft between two low-level units in Wang Cheong House.

He said burned paper boxes and cigarette butts were found at the platform, indicating people may have been smoking at places not designated for smoking in violation of rules. At the time of the blaze, the buildings were undergoing maintenance and scaffolding had been erected outside.

Dawes noted there was no direct proof smoking cigarettes had caused the blaze.

He said the evidence showed that multiple factors came together to produce the disaster, from fire alarms and hose systems being shut off to the use of non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting and covering windows with foam boards.

Windows at staircases were boarded up with wooden planks, causing plumes of smoke and fire to get into residents' escape routes, he said.

"On the day of the fire, nearly all fire safety systems meant to protect lives failed because of human factors," he said.

During the hearing, Dawes showed the committee CCTV footage, documents and records of text messages as he laid out his arguments.

He said the labor department had previously received complaints about some construction workers smoking at the site, with a photo as proof.

However, the department said the complaints could not be substantiated after its members went to check and found no one smoking on the scaffolding. The department forwarded a complaint to the fire services department, which said that was not part of its duty, Dawes said.

The probe also heard evidence that the company contracted to do the maintenance had used non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting at the complex, something the authorities previously had not discovered, he said.

Dawes took issue with the housing department notifying the maintenance contractors of its inspection time, and the labor department's failure to notice an outdated fire retardancy report.

After the hearing, Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the fire, said much of the information he heard Thursday was "explosive."

"It seems to be a series of ... covering up for each other," he said.

The fire broke out on Nov. 26 and quickly engulfed seven of the apartment complex's eight buildings.

Dawes said 37 households lost at least two family members in the fire. He said one firefighter who was killed in the blaze might have fallen to his death when he attempted to escape from one of the buildings.

Police have so far arrested 38 people on accusations related to the complex, including manslaughter and fraud. Nine have been charged, the police said. The anti-graft agency also arrested 23 people on suspicion of offenses such as bribery and conspiracy to defraud.

The committee - led by judges and set up in December - will also examine if systemic problems, such as bid-rigging, occurred in large-scale building maintenance and renovation works. The government said at the time that the committee's work was expected to take nine months.

After listening to the opening remarks from lawyers, the committee will hear evidence from witnesses, including Wang Fuk Court residents. Various government departments were involved in the hearing.

Many former occupants of the apartment complex are living in temporary housing scattered across the city. Hong Kong officials last month proposed to buy back the homeownership rights from the fire victims, citing results from a survey of residents' preferences, dashing hopes for those who want to rebuild their homes at the site.

Hong Kong leader John Lee on Tuesday said the government is working on plans to allow the victims of the fire to visit their damaged apartments and recover some of their belongings in April.