Hong Kong government departments received 180 complaints or enquiries, notably including construction workers smoking and renovation materials suspected to be substandard, ahead of the deadly Tai Po fire last year, an investigation has revealed.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, pictured on November 28, 2025, in the aftermath of the fatal blaze. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Released last Thursday, a report on the investigation into the Wang Fuk Court blaze detailed almost 200 pages of complaints and enquiries made as early as 2022.

The reports were made to the Home Affairs Department, the Labour Department, the Fire Services Department, the Buildings Department, the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, and the police.

A total of 23 complaints mentioned Prestige Construction & Engineering Limited, the contractor that was responsible for renovation work at Wang Fuk Court. At the time of the fire, which claimed 168 lives, the housing estate had been undergoing a large-scale renovation project.

Multiple complaints expressed concern about how Prestige came to be selected to take on the project, citing the firm’s past misconduct. In response, the Buildings Department said this was beyond its purview, in some instances replying that the complainant should approach the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit (ICU).

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 10, 2025. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.

One complaint about Prestige made to the ICU was met with a reply that the complainant should contact the Urban Renewal Authority, which provides support for building maintenance and project tendering, or the estate’s property owners’ corporation.

In another complaint, the ICU said it was “not in a suitable position to comment” on Prestige’s past records, which included known safety violations.

Smoking and other fire hazards

Government departments including the ICU, the Labour Department and the Home Affairs Department also received complaints about construction workers smoking.

In some instances, officers conducted inspections, but did not find the complaints to be “justified.”

Flowers left on the roadside near Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on December 10, 2025. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.

Regarding the follow-up actions for one of the smoking complaints, the report stated: “Based on the inspection findings, LD considered that the complaint could not be justified as no worker was found smoking other than in the smoking area designated by the contractor.”

The report stated that a lit cigarette was believed to be the cause of the fire. There was substantial evidence of construction workers smoking on site, the report stated, and combustible material was “likely to be in close proximity to the initial source of the fire.”

Complainants also expressed concerns about the contractor’s use of foam boards to cover windows during the renovation process.

Such complaints, when made to the Fire Services Department, yielded responses including that there were no specific regulations about window covers, and that the complainant could enquire with the Buildings Department.

The blackened exterior of an apartment block in Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, on November 27, 2025, with what appears to be styrofoam boards attached to the windows. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The long-awaited release of the investigation report on Thursday followed months of hearings, during which officials from various departments testified about fire safety and renovation matters linked to the Wang Fuk Court blaze.

See also: Tai Po fire: Housing Bureau to replace inspection unit criticised for multiple failings, ‘slack’ attitude

During a press conference after the release of the report, Chief Executive John Lee announced that Secretary for Housing Winnie Ho had resigned. The report had heavily faulted Ho’s Housing Bureau, which oversees the ICU, for mishandling complaints about potential fire hazards.

The ICU was aware of the use of foam boards but did not properly investigate. It also did not investigate concerns raised about fire retardancy, the last complaint of which was made just three weeks before the fire.