Overview
- The government-appointed independent committee reported that the blaze likely began in an area used as a repair workers’ breakroom outside a first-floor flat in one of seven towers.
- Investigators said two cigarette butts were recovered along with burned cardboard and trash at the identified origin point.
- The committee stated that the individual smoker could not be identified based on available evidence.
- Fire safety systems reportedly failed across the seven buildings, with alarms halted and hydrants and hoses unusable.
- The November fire in a northern Hong Kong housing complex killed 168 people, and the probe remains open with further examination expected.