Hong Kong leader John Lee apologized Thursday for the fire that killed 168 people at a Tai Po housing estate last November and announced that his housing secretary had stepped down, after an independent inquiry found serious lapses in government oversight.

Lee and seven senior officials bowed at the start of a news conference. "As chief executive and head of the government, I am deeply saddened," Lee said, Reuters reported.

Housing Secretary Winnie Ho resigned Wednesday, the first official to leave over the disaster. Lee said she should bear political responsibility, although the inquiry found no personal wrongdoing on her part, according to The Associated Press.

The judge-led panel's report runs more than 1,000 pages and holds four government bodies partly responsible. It found that the Housing Bureau's independent checking unit failed to properly supervise renovation work at the Wang Fuk Court complex. Lee said the Buildings, Fire Services and Labour departments also had shortcomings in overseeing fire hazards there.

Residents had been raising safety concerns for more than a year before the fire, Reuters reported. Despite repeated complaints, regulators did not properly investigate the foam boards used in the renovation or whether the scaffolding nets met fire-retardant standards, AP reported.

According to the report, the fire most likely started with a cigarette on a flat roof between two first-floor apartments at Wang Cheong House. It spread to seven buildings, killed 168 people, injured 79 and left thousands without homes. No fire in Hong Kong had killed more people since 1948.

Chief Secretary Eric Chan will head a steering committee to carry out the panel's recommendations. Among them are new laws that would make bid-rigging in the construction industry a crime, punishable by fines of up to HK$10 million, about $1.3 million, and 10 years in prison. A separate team will look into which officials should be held accountable and what disciplinary steps should follow.

The inquiry is separate from the criminal case. Seven people and two companies, Will Power and Prestige, have been charged with offenses including manslaughter and conspiracy to defraud. Prosecutors allege the defendants concealed the litigation history of the firm that won the renovation contract, worth more than HK$300 million, or over $38 million.

Lee's five-year term ends next June. Asked whether he would run again, he said his focus was on carrying out the reforms.