As I am preparing this essay, it is the last day of the Lunar New Year, a day when families gather together for a reunion dinner. For modern Hong Kong people, the reunion dinner is not only a festive meal, but also carries the hopes for a prosperous year ahead, wishes for family harmony, and the inheritance of traditional culture. Also known as the family reunion dinner, its core purpose is to allow family members to celebrate the New Year together, wishing for abundance and prosperity year after year, and the traditional blessings of longevity and a comfortable life.
However, a deadly fire which occurred at the end of last year (17 December 2025) in Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Tai Po district in Hong Kong (usually named as the “Taipo fire”), tragically separated many families, preventing them from enjoying family time together. This fire has drawn attention across the city and even globally. It ultimately resulted in 168 deaths (including one firefighter, 10 migrant workers who worked as domestic helpers), 79 injuries, and severe damage to seven high-rise buildings, which will likely need to be completely demolished.
The estate was built in 1983 and has eight residential blocks, each 31-storey tall with nearly 2,000 units in total. According to the 2021 population census, there were 4,643 residents in the complex. They are among the tallest buildings in Tai Po. The building complex was over 40 years old before the fire and was undergoing major repairs to the exterior walls of all eight residential towers. Bamboo scaffolding was erected to the full height of the buildings and was wrapped in construction safety nets and tarps. On November 26, a fire broke out on the safety nets and tarps of the lower floors outside one of the buildings. Flammable expanded polystyrene foam (styrofoam) boards covering the windows acted as potential accelerants for the fire, which quickly spread inside the building and then to the adjacent blocks. The fire burned for more than 43 hours.
As of December 17, 2025, the Police Force had arrested 22 people in connection with the Taipo fire, suspected of manslaughter and falsely claiming to the Fire Services Department that the fire alarms would not be turned off during maintenance. The Fire Services Department also took enforcement action on violations of the Fire Services Ordinance. Moreover, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) had arrested 14 people.
Solidarity among Local People and Migrant Workers
During the fire, numerous online groups in Tai Po district spontaneously mobilized to assist in disaster relief, sharing information and material needs, and proactively helping victims. Many small shops, restaurants, and churches opened their premises to provide free food and temporary rest areas, and assisted in collecting and distributing donated supplies. Online website for reporting safety and missing person websites, spontaneously created by citizens, appeared to help relatives and friends of victims confirm their safety. Many organizations also provided financial assistance to alleviate the urgent needs of the injured and the families of the deceased. All these efforts reflect the spirit of solidarity among Hong Kong people.
Solidarity in Catholic Social Teaching is a moral and spiritual principle recognizing all people as one human family, demanding active commitment to the common good, particularly for the marginalized. It moves beyond mere compassion to “firm and persevering determination” to stand with others, promoting justice, dignity, and interconnectedness. It is a firm commitment to the common good, not just a passing feeling of compassion (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 38). Pope Francis claimed that solidarity is needed to break the culture of indifference. Solidarity requires tangible actions, such as volunteering, addressing structural injustice, and supporting those in need. The solidarity actions in the Taipo fire manifest these qualities.
Among these solidarity actions, a group of migrant workers deserve our special attention. Foreign domestic helpers who worked in the housing complex and other migrant workers groups which offer help to the victims worth our respect and appreciation. Official figures show that there are 235 foreign domestic helpers worked and lived at Wang Fuk Court housing complex, mostly from the Philippines and Indonesia. For many Hong Kong families, they are the women who cook their meals, bathe their elderly parents and care for infants at home. They are often unseen but are indispensable. At the time of the fire, Carren Dadap, a Filipino worker, rushed out the door with the 5-year-old boy in her care. In another home, Rhodora Alcaraz, who had just arrived in Hong Kong a day earlier from the Philippines, clutched a three-month-old baby as smoke filled the room around. Vame Verador, carrying a two-year-old baby and helping her grandmother, broke through the sea of smoke and ran down from the 17th-floor back staircase. There were also domestic helpers who waited for rescue with their mistress and young kids. Many of them became their employer’s “saviors”. But sadly, ten migrant workers sacrificed their lives and dozens injured. They depicted their courage when protecting the “family members” they served. Their stories reveal how foreign domestic workers tried their best to protect the families they worked for. Their sacrifice and courage deserved to be remembered by Hong Kong people.
Besides, since solidarity is also a matter of justice, solidarity actions should also address structural problem. Thus, one cannot help asking: Where did the core problem lie? Was it a natural disaster or a man-made one? What structural problems does the fire reflect? How do the victims themselves view it?
Reason of the Fire
At the time of the fire, all eight buildings of the complex were enveloped in bamboo scaffolding and green safety netting for external renovation. It is because an inspection of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in 2016 mandated large-scale repairs for the estate. The registered contractor was Prestige Construction and Engineering Company which had a prior history of safety violations and was fined three times in 2023. In spite of this, this company was chosen to get the repair job. An investigation has been launched into suspected corruption related to the renovation.
Furthermore, the interior windows of each floor’s elevator room and all exterior windows had been sealed with flammable polystyrene. The Labour Department made several inspections of the construction site and found that the safety nets were certified to meet flame retardant standards. However, due to typhoon some safety nets were broken and another kind of nets were used to replace. While the Labour Department has issued safety guidelines that stipulate that the netting used with bamboo scaffolding must meet certain flame-retardant requirements, the guidelines have no legal effects or ramifications if ignored. Flame-retardant netting used in scaffolding is more expensive and has to be disposed after a single use. Consequently, some construction sites may have opted to use ordinary netting without flame retardancy as a cost-saving measure.
Moreover, residents had alleged as early as September 2024 that the construction workers had been smoking, littering cigarette butts throughout the construction site. A former security staff also claimed that as early as May 2025, he had found the fire alarm system intentionally turned off so that workers could enter and exit buildings more conveniently. Authorities also suspected that some materials on the exterior bamboo walls did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the fast spread of the fire. The construction safety netting enclosed the buildings in a manner that created a chimney effect, promoting strong upward convection, fueling rapid fire growth. Additionally, some of the windows in stairs were converted from glass to wood, so that workers could enter and exit the exterior more conveniently. On the day of the fire, Hong Kong was affected by the northeast monsoon season. The weather was dry with strong winds.
We can see there were both natural and human factors that led to this deadly fire. Some commentaries suggest that vested interests within the engineering industry have obstructed regulatory legislation, making it difficult to enforce safety requirements. Only an independent and continuous inspection mechanism can effectively regulate building fire safety. An investigative report “Unveiling the Dark Side of Maintenance” of a local newspaper Tai Kung Po analyzed issues such as maintenance costs, bid-rigging, and bribery in housing estates. There are opinions pointing to the responsibility of the Hong Kong Housing Authority, as a developer and government department. It should play a leading role in maintenance, monitoring and investigate whether property management companies have neglected their duties of overseeing the maintenance and repair work.
Addressing Structural Problem and Overcoming Structural Sin
Apparently, the reasons of the fire lie on the process of building repair work and the quality of construction safety nets. However, apart from that, when we dig deeper, there are systematic problems that should not be neglected. Some commentators and scholars point out that the policy of mandatory building inspection and repair of old housing estate have led to bid-rigging, driving up major repair prices and weakening homeowners’ bargaining power. There are evidences that repair companies such as Prestige Construction and Engineering Company involved in colluding to set prices. Such policy is the systematic, structural problem which distorts the market, weakening homeowners’ bargaining power, leading to the unfavorable result of the whole society. These are indeed systemic issues and structural sin that leads to the fire. The residents lack the right to participation in decision-making.
Although sin is always fundamentally a personal act, it also has a profound social dimension, resulting in “sinful social structures” that can be countered by “graced social structures”. These are institutionalized injustices that can become deeply entrenched in society. In Catholic Social Teaching (CST), structural or “social” sin refers to the accumulation of personal sins—driven by greed or the desire for power—that embed injustices into legal, economic, and social systems. These structures perpetuate evil independently of individual, daily actions (Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, 37).
Since the Taipo fire resulted in many deaths and injuries, it attracted broad attention. Many people, especially the residents of Wang Fuk Court, were eager to find out the causes and examine the reasons behind. One of them is Miles Ching-fung Kwan, a political science major final-year student from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). Kwan launched a special web page called “Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Fire Concern Group” to solicit signatures on the fire and listed four demands, including the establishment of an independent investigation committee, government accountability, proper resettlement for residents, and a review of construction oversight. These are also real concerns of many people.
However, because of this action, Kwan was arrested by the National Security Department of the police on suspicion of sedition, but was later released on bail pending investigation. Meanwhile, the Student Discipline Committee of the Academic Affairs Office of CUHK had alleged that Kwan had engaged in misconduct and requested that he attend a disciplinary hearing. Finally, on February 12, a few weeks before the graduation of Kwan, CUHK notified him of the expulsion, on the grounds that he had committed “multiple acts of misconduct.” CUHK said, “Cases in which a student has violated any established rules or regulations will be handled in accordance with the University’s existing disciplinary procedures. In cases of repeated, or serious offences, the most severe penalty is termination of studies at the University.”
Kwan criticized the unfairness of the Student Discipline Committee, pointing out that throughout the entire disciplinary hearing, the school never clearly explained to him the specific charges. He opined that the decision was made by some people with authority and power that wanted to suppress students with different opinions. Since the news spread, a number of well-known alumni of CUHK expressed concern. Some publicized an open letter to the administrators of CUHK, citing examples of former presidents of CUHK how they put benefits of students first in spite of their rebellious acts. They urge for the resumption of the student status of Kwan, based on his good intention of seeking for accountability and justice. This issue also reveals the change of culture and erosion of freedom of expression in Hong Kong.
The Church teaches that focusing on structural sin does not negate personal accountability but rather expands it. Individuals remain responsible, trying to overcome indifference. Overcoming structural sin requires a “conversion of hearts”, requiring personal repentance and structural reform. This is so true in the season of Lent. The primary remedy is the virtue of solidarity, which is a firm commitment to the common good and a preferential option for the poor. Kwan’s solidarity actions clearly resonate actions of overcoming structural sin. The Hong Kong government which has set up an independent committee to investigate the Taipo fire share similar goal too, hoping to understand the key issues such as the causes of the fire, the safety and equipment standards at Wang Fuk Court and possible systemic issues in large-scale building maintenance and renovation projects across the city. Many residents of Wang Fuk Court said that they want to get justice from the probe. Hopefully the inquiry can address the structural sin at the end and those who share similar goals would not be punished when they raised questions.