Tai Po fire interim report details circumstances of firefighter death; finds cigarette butt likely cause

A final investigation report into the cause of the Tai Po blaze last year has concluded that the fatal fire was likely caused by a cigarette butt that ignited combustible materials at the worksite.

Wang Fuk Court seen in the distance on April 20, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Reports that became publicly accessible on the investigation committee’s website on Friday also included information on the death of Ho Wai-ho, the firefighter who died in the line of duty fighting the blaze, as well as images of his fire-damaged uniform.

The fire at Wang Fuk Court, a a Home Ownership Scheme housing estate undergoing renovation, broke out on November 26 last year killing 168 people and displacing thousands.

An independent committee was formed to probe the cause of the fire and provide suggestions to form the basis of reforms to Hong Kong’s fire safety regime.

The 1,142-page investigation report concluded that the fire originated accidentally on a platform outside two flats on the first floor of Wang Cheong House, the first building at Wang Fuk Court that caught fire last November.

The cause of the fire was attributed to the “improper disposal” of a cigarette butt, the report read. Smoking has since been banned on construction sites.

A worker smoking on the roof of Wang Cheong House, the first building to catch fire at Wang Fuk Court, on the day of the fire, dated November 26, 2025. Photo: CCTV footage via Wang Fuk Court independent committee.

“While the windy and dry weather conditions contributed to its development, it was the abundant presence of combustible materials that played a crucial role in allowing the fire to grow in size, intensify and rapidly spread further to other combustibles,” it said.

An earlier report included screenshots of surveillance footage showing a renovation worker smoking at the estate, just hours before the fire broke out.

The independent committee presiding over the probe had earlier heard that combustibles such as wooden planks and cardboard rapidly accelerated the spread of the fire. The renovation contractor’s use of substandard materials, including non-fire-retardant scaffolding nets, was also part of the reason for the fire’s spread.

The systemic factors that led to the fire were a combination of the construction sector’s greed as well as buck-passing and gaps in the government’s regulatory regime. Delivering closing statements last month, the inquiry committee’s lawyer Victor Dawes said that the government had an “unshirkable responsibility” over the fire.

Firefighter’s death

Ho, who died in the fire at the age of 37, was given a full-honours funeral. According to the probe committee’s interim report, Ho “might have been in prolonged contact with hot or burning objects, resulting in severe fire damage” to his uniform.

Images of his fire-damaged uniform and gear were attached in the report, including his charred station t-shirt and trousers, PBI matrix firefighting jacket and trousers, an anti-flash hood, and his helmet with a cracked visor.

Images of Ho Wai-ho’s station uniform and firefighting jacket. Photo: Wang Fuk Court fire independent committee.

Images of Ho Wai-ho’s anti-flash hood and helmet. Photo: Wang Fuk Court fire independent committee.

All of his gear was in working order, based on tests conducted a month before the fire, the report said.

Surveillance camera footage also shows Ho being separated from his team and entering the wrong building – Wang Tai House instead of Wang Cheong House at the estate.

“Ho was fully capable of escaping from Wang Tai House upon noting the deteriorating situation; however, it is believed that he stayed in Wang Tai House in [an] attempt to assist the evacuation of the others,” the report said.

Ho Wai-ho, who died in the November 2025 Wang Fuk Court blaze. Photo: FSD.

The firefighter’s facemask, gear, helmet, and hammer were found on the 31st floor of the building. “It is reasonably believed,” the report said, that Ho placed down his gear before climbing out of the building onto the scaffolding, which might have been his only means of seeking assistance or escape.

The autopsy report indicated his injuries were consistent with a fall, “supporting the inference that he exited the building structure through the scaffolding.”

It is plausible that Ho was overcome by smoke inhalation and lost consciousness, then fell from the building, or that he fell and sustained incapacitating injuries, the report said.