The devastating fire in Tai Po in November 2025 killed 168 people and spread rapidly across seven of eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex. Many displaced residents are living in temporary housing scattered across the city, with over a third of the approximately 4,600 people who lived in the complex before the fire being older residents. Logistical challenges for returning residents include non-functional elevators, with some elderly residents training to improve their fitness to climb stairs in the 31-story buildings.
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said over 1,400 people registered for the return are 65 years old or older. Residents will typically be allowed to stay in their apartments for up to three hours, with up to four people entering; in severely damaged units, only one person can go in. People are still waiting for the results of an investigation into the cause of the fire, with an independent committee holding its first hearing on Thursday.
On the day of the fire, nearly all fire safety systems meant to protect lives failed because of human factors.
The committee's lead lawyer Victor Dawes said the fire is suspected to have started at a platform in a light well outside two low-level units, with cigarette butts found there and on scaffolding. He added that evidence showed multiple factors contributed to the disaster, including fire alarms and hose systems being shut off, non-fire-retardant scaffolding netting, and windows covered with foam boards. Victor Dawes said nearly all fire safety systems failed on the day of the fire due to human factors.
A number of people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter, fraud, or corruption related to the fire. The judge-led committee, set up in December, will examine if systemic problems such as bid-rigging existed in large-scale building maintenance and renovation works, with the government saying its work was expected to take nine months.