Hong Kong: Minister resigns after high-rise fire

Almost a year after a devastating high-rise fire in Hong Kong that killed 168 people, the Chinese metropolis's housing minister, Winnie Ho, has resigned. It did so following the publication of an investigation report into government co-responsibility. At a press conference to present the final report of a commission of inquiry on Thursday, Hong Kong Prime Minister John Lee bowed and asked for forgiveness for the accident on November 26, 2025.

The fire in the Wang Fuk Court high-rise complex in the northern Tai Po district was the world's deadliest residential complex fire since 1980. The flames raged for more than 40 hours. They captured seven of the eight high-rise buildings in the residential complex, which were surrounded by bamboo scaffolding, protective nets and foam panels due to renovation work.

After the accident, public pressure grew on the Hong Kong government to investigate the accident and reveal its share of responsibility. There were also calls for Lee and other senior officials to resign.

An investigative committee that has held more than 30 hearings into the major fire since March concluded that almost all safety measures failed that day because of human error. The flaming inferno was "avoidable but not avoided, foreseeable but not foreseen," said Victor Dawes of the investigative committee in July.