Hong Kong chief receives extensive report on Wang Fuk Court fire investigation

An independent panel that examined the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po delivered its extensive report to Chief Executive John Lee on Thursday. The document, spanning hundreds of pages in Chinese and English, follows 30 hearings across six rounds that summoned residents, government officials and fire-service contractors. In its closing submissions, lead counsel Victor Dawes pinpointed four bodies—the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department and the Labour Department—as holding regulatory responsibility and urged comprehensive reforms.

Government representative Jenkin Suen argued the fire’s direct cause lay in illegal conduct by private contractors, noting that blaming the government alone would be unfair, though he admitted systemic weaknesses. The chief executive has pledged to review the recommendations, advance reforms and seek accountability. The report’s contents will not be released immediately pending government review.