Hong Kong Housing Chief Steps Down After Fatal Fire Probe

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned Wednesday following an investigation into the city’s deadliest fire in decades. Chief Executive John Lee announced the departure Thursday, stating that Ho must bear political responsibility for the disaster despite the finding that no personal wrongdoing occurred. Lee and seven other senior officials bowed at the start of the press conference to apologize to the public.

The fire began last November in the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in a northern suburban district. The blaze consumed seven buildings and killed 168 residents. It also displaced thousands of people who had to leave their homes. The buildings were undergoing maintenance work at the time of the outbreak.

An independent committee determined that the Housing Bureau’s checking unit failed to supervise the maintenance work properly. This finding led to the recommendation for the secretary’s resignation. The committee’s inquiry is separate from the ongoing criminal cases related to the fire.

Prosecutors have charged seven individuals and two companies with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud. The investigation alleged that the two companies and some defendants worked together to hide previous litigation records. These records belonged to the company that later secured the renovation contract. That contract was valued at more than 300 million Hong Kong dollars, or over 38 million US dollars.

Former residents of the complex have waited nearly a year for the government to address accountability. The fire claimed their homes and the lives of their loved ones. The resignation marks the first high level political response to the regulatory failures identified by the independent panel.