Tai Po fire: Gov’t has ‘unshirkable responsibility’ over fatal blaze, lawyer says as probe concludes

The government holds an "unshirkable responsibility" for last year's deadly Tai Po fire, a lawyer for a public inquiry committee declared in closing statements. The investigation examined the blaze and its rapid, devastating spread through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate.

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The fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on 26 November 2025 was one of the gravest tragedies to have ever occurred in Hong Kong.

Senior counsel Victor Dawes, representing the independent committee, presented a 627-page closing address detailing the tragedy. He described the November 26, 2025, fire as one of Hong Kong's gravest disasters, noting the immense difficulty in comprehending the loss of 168 lives and the destruction of a neighborhood where thousands had built families and memories.

The fire erupted during renovation works at the government-run estate, engulfing seven of its eight buildings. In addition to the 168 fatalities, including one firefighter, thousands of residents were displaced. Dawes asserted that the companies managing the renovation employed unscrupulous tactics that evaded the government's regulatory oversight.

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Even today, seven months later, the scale of the disaster – the loss of 168 lives, and the abrupt destruction of a neighbourhood which thousands called home, where they built families and created memories – remains difficult to comprehend.

He specifically condemned Prestige Construction & Engineering, the main contractor, and Will Power Architects, the consultancy overseeing the HK$330 million renovation. Dawes stated the fire was caused by "continuous fraud, bad materials, false certificates, and blatant lying." He argued the government's honor system was insufficient to counter deliberate deception and called for a systematic review to identify flaws exposed by the incident.

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I emphasise that this was caused by continuous fraud, bad materials, false certificates, and blatant lying.

Dawes highlighted that Wang Fuk Court was largely covered in non-fire-retardant nets on the day of the fire. He suggested Prestige and another company, Gain Profit, were primarily responsible for using cheaper, non-retardant nets to replace those damaged by typhoons. Will Power was implicated for failing to adequately supervise Prestige. Evidence included footage of a worker smoking on a roof shortly before the first building caught fire, and reports of flammable foam boards being installed over windows.

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We need a systematic review to identify flaws exposed by the fire.