Hong Kong to replace disgraced housing unit over deadly Tai Po fire

Hong Kong's disgraced Independent Checking Unit (ICU) will be dismantled as part of reforms following the city's deadliest fire in decades, according to a judge-led inquiry. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced that the Housing Bureau will undergo restructuring, replacing the ICU with a new Public Housing Building Control Section.

The new section, set to launch next month, will operate on a project basis, actively liaising with parties involved and overseeing both existing residential buildings and construction projects. The fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po on November 26, 2025, killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. The inquiry identified four human factors leading to the fire: workers' smoking, unsafe building materials, temporary access points at emergency staircases, and the unauthorised shutdown of fire safety installations.

The ICU, responsible for supervising construction works, was criticized for lacking a sense of crisis and regulatory failures, systemic blind spots, and enforcement failures. The ICU was found to have audited and approved contractor applications for creating temporary openings at emergency staircases without site inspections, contributing to the disaster.