Housing Oversight: Hong Kong Minister Resigns After Fatal Fire Inquiry

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned on Wednesday, citing inadequate regulatory oversight that allowed a fatal fire to spread through an apartment complex in northern Hong Kong.

Chief Executive John Lee announced the departure Thursday at a press conference where he and seven other senior officials bowed in apology. Lee stated that Ho should bear political responsibility for the disaster, even though no personal wrongdoing was found against her. The resignation follows an independent committee's investigation into the fire that broke out last November.

The blaze engulfed seven buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex, killing 168 people and displacing thousands of residents. The fire began on the flat roof between two apartments on the first floor of Wang Cheong House. Evidence indicated that a lighted cigarette started the fire, with butts and partially burnt cardboard boxes recovered from the site. Construction workers were seen smoking on the scaffolding despite regulations.

The committee determined that several factors allowed the fire to spread rapidly. The use of foam boards and scaffolding nets that were not fire retardant played a key role. Staircase windows had been replaced with movable aluminum composite panels or wooden boards to facilitate worker movement, which allowed smoke to infiltrate escape routes. Opaque foam boards covering the apartment windows blocked residents' views, delaying their evacuation. The fire alarm system was also shut down during the incident.

Most of the 168 victims died from smoke inhalation rather than burns. The report identified Will Power Architects Company and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. as the main contractors responsible for cutting corners on the maintenance project. The committee found that these firms had deceived regulators by using registered professionals who performed no substantive work, instead lending their names to statutory forms for a fee.

Lee said the government would conduct a three-month investigation into the Housing Bureau, the Buildings Department, the Fire Services Department, and the Labor Department. The goal is to determine if specific staff members were derelict in their duties. The Housing Bureau's independent checking unit failed to supervise the maintenance work properly. The Buildings Department, Fire Services Department, and Labor Department also showed shortcomings in monitoring fire hazards at the complex.

The committee criticized the Independent Checking Unit for giving pre-notification to consultants and contractors about site inspections. This practice allowed firms to prepare before officials arrived. The report noted that regulators relied on the good faith of the companies they regulated, leaving obvious fire hazards uninvestigated despite multiple complaints regarding foam boards and scaffolding quality.

Criminal investigations are proceeding separately from the committee's work. Seven individuals and two companies, Will Power and Prestige, have been charged with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud. Authorities allege the companies concealed previous litigation records to win the renovation contract, which was valued at more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars, or over $38 million.