Winnie Ho Resigns as Hong Kong Housing Secretary After Wang Fuk Court Fire Probe

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned Wednesday following an independent review that determined government agencies failed to supervise maintenance work at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex. The resignation follows the release of a report into the city’s deadliest fire in decades, which claimed 168 lives. Chief Executive John Lee apologized Thursday, stating that Ho should bear political responsibility for the oversight failures, even though no personal wrongdoing was found.

The fire started in November of last year on the flat roof of Wang Cheong House. It quickly engulfed seven buildings in the northern suburban district, displacing thousands of residents. Many former occupants have spent nearly a year waiting for answers regarding the safety of their homes during the renovation period.

The independent committee concluded that a lighted cigarette likely caused the initial ignition. Investigators found cigarette butts and partially burnt cardboard boxes on the roof. Evidence indicated that construction workers had smoked on site, including on the scaffolding.

The report identified several factors that allowed the fire to spread rapidly. Workers used non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets and canvases. Opaque foam boards covered the apartment windows, blocking residents' views and delaying evacuation. Additionally, some staircase windows were replaced with movable aluminum composite panels or wooden boards for worker convenience, which allowed smoke to infiltrate escape routes. A majority of the deaths resulted from smoke inhalation rather than burns.

The committee found that the Housing Bureau’s independent checking unit failed in its supervisory duties. The Buildings Department, Fire Services Department, and Labor Department also showed shortcomings in monitoring fire hazards. The report noted that regulators relied on the good faith of contractors, leaving obvious hazards uninvestigated despite multiple complaints about the foam boards and scaffolding materials.

The investigation identified Will Power Architects Company as the consultant and Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. as the main contractor. The committee stated that these two firms cut corners and were the main culprits responsible for the high fatality count. They also alleged that various registered contractors and building professionals lent their names to statutory forms without conducting substantive work, effectively rubber-stamping the paperwork for a fee.

Lee announced that a three-month investigation will now examine whether staff at the four government agencies were derelict in their duties. Officials also proposed new measures to prevent similar incidents, including criminalizing bid rigging.

The committee’s work is separate from ongoing criminal proceedings. Seven people and two companies, Will Power and Prestige, have been charged with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud. Prosecutors alleged the companies concealed previous litigation records to win a renovation contract worth more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars.