The administrator of the fire-hit Hong Kong estate is still settling contracts and gradually issuing refunds to owners after organising tens of thousands of documents, the city’s home affairs minister has said in response to residents’ concerns. Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said on Saturday that Hop On Management Company, the government-appointed administrator of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, was gradually refunding owners from the remaining balance of the estate’s major...
Homeowners of a fire-hit Hong Kong estate who waited months for an extraordinary general meeting have expressed disappointment that its agenda excludes a crucial building examination report from last November’s deadly blaze. Hop On Management Company, the government-appointed administrator of Wang Fuk Court, arranged the meeting with flat owners on Sunday to discuss items including reports on the progress of the handover from former incorporated owners and the latest situation with Wang Chi...
Tears, anger and exhaustion marked the conclusion of an inquiry into the deadly fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court, as survivors condemned government departments for passing the buck and demanded accountability. Residents have reacted to the conclusion of an inquiry into the deadly fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court with tears of anger and exhaustion, as survivors condemned government departments for passing the buck and demanded accountability and apologies. An independent committee...
An independent committee examining the causes of Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze will delay submitting its final report to late October, a month later than expected, as more time is needed to review documents, the South China Morning Post has learned. A source confirmed to the SCMP on Saturday that the judge-led panel’s final report was likely to be submitted to Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu in late October, rather than September as the committee’s nine-month investigation deadline...
An independent inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire has concluded after examining more than 1 million files and hearing from 80 witnesses across 30 public sessions, uncovering the causes of the blaze that killed 168 people. The panel, chaired by Justice David Lok Kai-hong, wrapped up its hearings on Friday after proceedings that began on March 19. The inquiry examined evidence and testimony related to the Wang Fuk Court fire, the city’s deadliest since 1948. “Through open investigation...
About 90 per cent of flat owners at the fire-damaged Wang Fuk Court have returned signed letters accepting the government’s buy-back offer, but some residents have raised concerns about rushed decisions tied to priority selection. The Deputy Financial Secretary’s Office said on Friday that as of July 16, a total of 1,786 owners, or about 90 per cent, had submitted acceptance letters. Of these, 769 had already signed sale and purchase agreements with the government, accounting for 43 per cent of...
The South China Morning Post has documented Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po blaze in a series of multimedia projects, from detailing the search and rescue mission to examining evidence revealed at public hearings set up to investigate the cause of the inferno. The fire, which engulfed the Wang Fuk Court residential complex last November, claimed 168 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 people, making it the city’s deadliest blaze in decades. For a deeper look at the causes of the tragedy, the “systemic...
Legal counsel for an independent panel investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will deliver its closing remarks at the final public inquiry session on Friday. The 600-page closing statement is expected to cover the causes of the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, as well as the roles and responsibilities of each involved party. The blaze that broke out on November 26, 2025, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000. The estate was undergoing a HK$336 million renovation project at...
Hong Kong authorities’ role in last year’s deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze was secondary to that of construction and fire service firms, which either conspired to circumvent supervision or neglected their statutory duties, a government counsel has argued. Wrapping up the government’s arguments at an independent committee inquiry into the tragedy, Jenkin Suen SC on Thursday attributed the inferno to the “deceit, inaction and deliberate omission” of contractors who exploited regulatory regimes founded...
An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will hear concluding remarks from the government on Thursday as the final round of hearings on the tragedy continues. The legal representative for nine residents of the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po will also deliver a concluding statement before the judge-led panel on the second last session of the three-day hearing. Committee chairman Justice David Lok Kai-hong said the government’s closing...
An independent, judge-led committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades will hear closing submissions from legal representatives, following 27 sessions of evidential hearings. Counsel representing the committee, the government and other parties are expected to deliver their final submissions before the panel from Wednesday to Friday, after which it will proceed to finalise a report due in about a month. A deadly blaze broke out at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po...
Hong Kong’s housing authorities have dismissed online rumours that a government-established company set up to acquire flats at fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court is an “empty shell” at risk of bankruptcy, saying it has signed contracts with more than 550 owners. The Housing Bureau said on Monday that claims concerning “Wang Fuk Court Property Rights Acquisition Limited” were “entirely unfounded”. “It cannot be ruled out that the allegations are made by individuals with ulterior motives to confuse the...
The government-appointed administrator of Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court will hold an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) with owners of the flats on July 19, ending months of delays. In a notice issued on Saturday, Hop On Management Company said it would host the meeting simultaneously via live broadcast across four locations for owners of Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po – the site of Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades, which killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000. The four...
A Hong Kong court has granted bail to an assistant manager of the project consultant behind a HK$336 million (US$42.8 million) renovation at the fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court, pending a money laundering trial. Li Min, 33, secured bail at the High Court on Thursday after spending three weeks behind bars in connection with the city’s deadliest blaze in recent history. Her bail money was set at HK$300,000, with her boyfriend also pledging HK$100,000 as surety. Li was among seven individuals and two...