The Chief Executive of Hong Kong has announced the formation of an independent committee dedicated to overhauling the city’s building regulation system. This initiative follows a tragic fire in Tai Po that resulted in significant loss of life.

During a press briefing on Tuesday, John Lee emphasized the necessity of immediate reforms after a devastating fire claimed the lives of at least 159 individuals in late November. The blaze tore through several high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.

“We are determined to bypass any barriers posed by vested interests and hold those responsible to account, irrespective of their status. Our aim is to uncover the truth, deliver justice, honor the deceased, and support the survivors,” Lee stated firmly.

The Hong Kong leader revealed that authorities have detained 13 individuals on manslaughter charges. Additionally, the Independent Commission Against Corruption has apprehended about a dozen people for alleged corrupt activities linked to the incident.

In memory of the victims, flowers have been placed outside the Wang Fuk Court apartment buildings, which were engulfed by flames on November 26, 2025. The scene remains a somber reminder of the tragedy that struck the Tai Po district.

The Hong Kong Police Department said Wednesday they have completed searches of all seven fire-damaged buildings and identified 140 of the 159 victims.

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department said it received reports of a blaze breaking out at the Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a district in the northern New Territories, around 2:50 p.m. on Nov. 26.

The fire was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the most severe rating in Hong Kong, by 6:22 p.m.

Photos from the scene showed the bamboo scaffolding of the towers engulfed in flames and thick, dark smoke pouring out of multiple floors.

Thick smoke and flames rise as a major fire engulfs several apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court estate in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Nov. 26, 2025. (Yan Zhao/AFP via Getty Images)

Chan Kwong-tak, an 83-year-old retiree living in the community, told The South China Morning Post that the fire alarms failed to go off when the blaze broke out, even though the buildings were equipped with them.

“If someone was sleeping then, they were done,” he said.

Lee told reporters the government had “identified failures in different stages,” adding that officials must act decisively to close loopholes and hold those responsible to account.

“The bottlenecks will be addressed. And we will reform the whole building renovation system to ensure that such things will not happen again,” he said.

People offer flowers for the victims outside Wang Fuk Court following the deadly Nov. 26 fire in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Nov. 30, 2025.

Hong Kong’s Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said last week that the Buildings Department will review the safety rules governing scaffolding and protective nets after the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire.

Hon-ho noted that the fire is suspected to have been caused by industry non-compliance rather than from bamboo scaffolding itself, though bamboo structures are less fire-resistant than metal ones.