An independent committee looking into the origin of Hong Kong's worst fire in decades heard testimony on Thursday about how a number of mistakes led to the 2025 inferno that destroyed seven buildings and killed 168 people. The hearings in the case began.
Since the fire destroyed the close-knit neighborhood of Wang Fuk Court in November 2025, former inhabitants and family members of the dead have been waiting for answers. The community was home to thousands of individuals in the suburban area of Tai Po.
Victor Dawes, the chief lawyer for the committee, stated in his opening remarks that the most likely cause of the fire was cigarettes that ignited other things on fire on a platform in an air shaft between two low-level flats of Wang Cheong House.
He claimed that burned paper boxes and cigarette butts were found on the platform, which suggests that individuals may have been smoking in locations where smoking is not allowed, which is against the regulations. The buildings were being worked on at the time of the fire, and scaffolding had been put up outside.
Dawes said there was no concrete evidence that smoking cigarettes started the fire.
He added that wooden boards were put over windows at stairs, which let smoke and fire into the escape routes of the people who lived there.
He remarked, "Almost all of the fire safety systems that were supposed to save lives failed because of people."
Dawes showed the committee CCTV video, documentation, and text message records when he made his case during the session.
He added that the labor department had gotten complaints before about certain construction workers smoking on the job, and he had a picture to back it up.
The department, on the other hand, stated it couldn't prove the accusations because its personnel went to investigate and discovered no one smoking on the scaffolding. Dawes added that the fire services department indicated it was not their job.
He stated that the inquiry also heard evidence that the business hired to undertake the maintenance had utilized scaffolding netting that didn't stop fires at the complex, something the authorities had not found out about before.
Dawes was unhappy that the housing department told the maintenance contractors when it would be inspecting the property and that the labor department didn't discover an old fire retardancy report.
Yip Ka-kui, who lost his wife in the fire, said that a lot of what he heard on Thursday was "explosive."
"It looks like a series of ... covering up for each other," he added.
On November 26, the fire started and swiftly spread to seven of the eight buildings in the residential complex.
Dawes reported that at least two family members died in the fire for 37 houses. He claimed that one fireman who died in the fire could have fallen to his death while trying to get out of one of the buildings.
So far, police have detained 38 persons in connection with the facility on charges of homicide and fraud. The police reported that nine people had been charged. The anti-graft agency also took 23 persons into custody on suspicion of crimes like bribery and plotting to cheat.
The committee, which was formed in December and is headed by a judge, will also look into whether there were systematic issues, including bid-rigging, in large-scale building maintenance and repair projects. At the time, the administration claimed that the committee's work would take nine months.
The committee will hear evidence from witnesses, including those who live in Wang Fuk Court, after the attorneys give their opening statements. The hearing featured a number of government ministries.
A lot of people who used to live in the apartment complex are now living in temporary accommodation all around the city. Last month, Hong Kong officials said they wanted to purchase back the fire victims' homeownership rights. They said this was based on a poll of locals' views. This dashed the expectations of many who wanted to rebuild their houses on the site.
John Lee, the leader of Hong Kong, said on Tuesday that the government is making arrangements to let those who lost their homes in the fire visit them in April and get some of their things back.
The AP