The Insurance Authority (IA) has settled 85% of claims arising from Hong Kong’s deadliest residential fire in decades, with nearly HK$510 million paid to affected individuals two months after the blaze killed 168 people.
The authority announced Monday that 1,032 of 1,218 total claims had been processed since the Nov. 26 fire at Wang Fuk Court, a government-subsidized housing estate in Tai Po.
The fire burned for 43 hours and 27 minutes and consumed seven of the complex’s eight residential blocks, according to official records. The disaster displaced nearly 4,600 residents and injured 79 people.
Of 1,030 general insurance claims, 863 have been settled for approximately HK$450 million, while 169 of 188 long-term insurance claims have been resolved for about HK$60 million, the Insurance Authority stated.
“The IA is aware that a majority of claims have been successfully settled based on the principle of treating customers fairly, and the remaining claims call for on-site inspections and damage assessments,” chief executive officer Clement Cheung said. “We will continue to follow up actively with the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers.”
The announcement comes following investigations into the fire’s cause. The apartment complex was undergoing major repairs when bamboo scaffolding wrapped in construction safety nets and tarps ignited, investigators determined.
The Independent Commission Against Corruption stated that after a typhoon damaged scaffolding in July 2025, some original netting was replaced with cheaper material that did not meet fire safety standards. Investigators found 2,300 rolls of non-compliant netting had been purchased at significantly lower cost than fire-retardant material, according to a report from Fire & Safety Journal.
Seven of 20 samples collected from near windows and other less accessible points failed safety tests, according to Eric Chan, Hong Kong’s chief secretary.
Hong Kong authorities arrested 14 people connected to the engineering company and scaffolding subcontractor on manslaughter charges. Residents had alleged as early as September 2024 that construction workers had been smoking and littering cigarette butts throughout the construction site.
The government established a “one social worker per household” program to provide psychological support, financial assistance, and rehousing arrangements for affected families. Officials stated the service would remain in place indefinitely.
Hong Kong authorities also implemented immediate safety reforms. Secretary for development Bernadette Linn announced that more than 200 construction sites were ordered to remove existing scaffolding mesh within three days following the disaster.
