Burning of 'hell banknotes' cannot be tolerated
Fire is a killer in Hong Kong. Every day, it seems, we see pictures of firefighters carrying bodies out of charred buildings.
My wife and I are particularly concerned, since we live on the 32nd floor and escaping a fire could be difficult.
To make matters worse, my wife is asthmatic; a dose of smoke that would hospitalise a healthy person would probably kill her outright.
When my wife smelled smoke on Sunday, December 6, she did the right thing and immediately called 999.
The firemen found a brazier in the stairwell on a floor below our flat, filled with smouldering 'hell banknotes'.
This practice absolutely cannot be tolerated.
Every stairwell is a natural chimney, and many of them are filled with rubbish.
Further, if residents smell smoke frequently, and learn to assume that it comes from some harmless source, then they will waste precious time when there is an actual fire.
Finally, to wilfully introduce vile-smelling smoke into other people's flats is a form of trespass.
I have asked the fire services to provide a copy of the incident report for our records.
I have informed our management company in no uncertain terms that if this ever happens again, I shall take the necessary legal action. It is contractually and legally obligated to provide a safe living environment, yet the event on December 6 was evidence that it had not done so.
I urge every flat dweller in Hong Kong to take an equally hard line. In this instance, the philosophy of 'live and let live' may cost lives.
In closing, I would like to commend the men who responded to my wife's call. Three fire engines and two police vans were at our front door in four minutes flat. Well done, gentlemen. We'll sleep better, knowing that you're wide awake.
ROGER RENSVOLD New Territories
