Inquiry counsel says Wang Fuk Court fire was preventable, smoking likely to blame

Hong Kong

2026.07.17 19:02

CCTV footage from the bicycle shelter behind Wang Cheong House showed that from 2:33 p.m., light smoke began drifting from the external bamboo scaffolding into the shelter. (Independent Commission document)

Senior Counsel Victor Dawes, representing the Independent Commission investigating the Wang Fuk Court fire in Tai Po, concluded on Friday (July 17) that the devastating blaze was "entirely preventable" but was not prevented, and "foreseeable" but not foreseen, adding that such a serious disaster should never have happened and must never happen again.

The Independent Commission held its sixth round of hearings from July 15 to July 17, during which parties delivered their closing submissions. Victor Dawes presented the commission's closing arguments.

At around 9:30 a.m., the commission uploaded its 627-page English closing submission, comprising 11 chapters covering topics including the major renovation works, the fire, contractors' responsibilities, government responsibilities and recommendations for improvement.

At 2:42 p.m., CCTV captured the first visible flames on the bamboo scaffolding outside Flats 104 and 105 of Wang Cheong House. Burning debris subsequently fell with increasing frequency, and by 2:44:48 p.m., flames on the ground inside the bicycle shelter had become self-sustaining. (Independent Commission document)

The submission also includes nearly 80 images used as evidence, sourced from photographs provided by residents, closed-circuit television footage from the housing estate and findings from the government's interdepartmental investigation task force. Many of the images were made public for the first time.

According to Victor Dawes's reconstruction of the sequence of events on the day of the fire, the timeline is as follows:

2:33 p.m.—CCTV footage captured smoke emerging from the bamboo scaffolding.
2:50 p.m.—A passer-by called the police, while a bystander was heard asking, "Why isn't the fire alarm going off? What's going on?"
2:51 p.m.—Authorities received the emergency report.
2:58 p.m.—The first column of flames shot vertically from the light well to the top floor. Within one minute, the fire had reached the rooftop. Stairwells in Wang Cheong House were already filled with thick smoke, while smoke was also seen at Wang Tai House. The estate's fire alarm system "did not sound even once."

By 2:58 p.m., signs of fire had already appeared on the rooftop of Wang Tai House (Block E), adjacent to Wang Cheong House. (Independent Commission document)

3:04 p.m.—A second column of flames appeared at Wang Cheong House.
3:05 p.m.—Both escape routes at Wang Cheong House were blocked.
3:09 p.m.—A third column of flames erupted at Wang Cheong House, while bamboo scaffolding at Wang Shing House caught fire.

Flames were visible on the rooftop of Wang Sun House (Block C) by 3:12 p.m.(Independent Commission document)

3:15 p.m.—Wang Sun House and Wang Kin House caught fire.
3:16 p.m.—Two columns of flames appeared at Wang Tai House within one minute.
3:18 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.—Both exits of Wang Tai House became impassable.
3:20 p.m.—The estate's main entrance was blocked by collapsed bamboo scaffolding.
3:34 p.m.—The fire was upgraded to a level-four alarm and spread to Wang Sun House.
4:06 p.m. to 4:11 p.m.—Flames at Wang Sun House reached the 31st floor, with another column of flames emerging.
4:36 p.m.—A second column of flames appeared at Wang Sun House.
4:42 p.m.—Thick smoke engulfed Wang Shing House.
4:45 p.m.—Bamboo scaffolding at Wang Sun House collapsed, with a total of 11 columns of flames recorded.
6:22 p.m.—The fire was upgraded to a level-five alarm, Hong Kong's first since 2008.
6:32 p.m.—A 12th column of flames appeared at Wang Yan House.

A large number of cigarette butts were photographed in the stairwell between the 11th and 12th floors of Wang Shing House. (Independent Commission document)

Regarding the cause of the fire, the commission ruled out spontaneous combustion, electrical faults and hot works such as welding as likely ignition sources.

Instead, it concluded that the fire most likely originated from workers smoking on the construction site.

CCTV footage recorded at 2:45 p.m. showed a worker wearing the uniform smoking on the rooftop of Wang Cheong House, where the fire first broke out. (Independent Commission document)

According to the commission, sufficient evidence presented during the hearings showed that workers had continued smoking at the site up to and including the day of the fire.

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