Hong Kong leader apologizes for deadly fire that tested Beijing’s grip on city

HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader made a rare apology Thursday for a residential fire that killed 168 people last year, announcing that a top housing official would resign after an investigation blamed corruption and regulatory failures for the Chinese territory’s worst human-caused disaster in decades.

The Nov. 26, 2025, fire at Wang Fuk Court, a high-rise housing estate in the suburban district of Tai Po, swiftly engulfed seven of its eight towers, killing 110 women and 58 men ranging in age from 6 months to 98 years old. Thousands of others were displaced from their homes at the complex, which was undergoing major renovations at the time of the blaze.

The tragedy provoked widespread public grief and anger and was widely seen as the first major test for the Hong Kong government since Beijing imposed a sweeping national security law in 2020 in response to pro-democracy protests. Critics say the law, which Hong Kong and Chinese officials say was necessary to restore stability, has been used to stifle dissent in the former British colony.

Image: Government officials bow on stage behind a podium — John Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, and other officials bowed in apology during a news conference on Thursday.Zulu Lo / Sipa USA via AP

Calls for accountability and transparency after the fire were quickly met with warnings from Hong Kong and Chinese officials, who said that “external hostile forces” were trying to re-create the chaos of the 2019 protests, which sometimes turned violent.

John Lee, Hong Kong’s top leader, said he was “deeply saddened” by the fire’s impact on the community.

“After self-reflection, I have considered that the government should roll out a large number of measures for reform, and a lot of work has to be carried out,” he said at a news conference.

“In my capacity as chief executive, I apologize to all the victims and members of the public,” said Lee, who bowed in apology with seven other senior Hong Kong officials.

Lee said Housing Secretary Winnie Ho had resigned on Wednesday, making her the first official to lose her job over the fire. Ho “should bear political responsibility” for the disaster, he said, despite no evidence of personal wrongdoing.

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