Grieving Yuen Long father says illegal structures blocked firefighters' access
Neighbours' encroachment on road stopped fire engine reaching NT house to save two young boys. Spare others such tragedy, father urges
A father whose two young sons died in a New Territories fire last year is convinced their lives could have been saved if emergency vehicles had had proper access to their village house.
Simon Watkiss is calling attention to the problem in the hope that action can be taken so others' lives can be spared.
"I just don't want this to happen to anyone else," he said. "If you look around this area, you'll see that there's just no proper access to any of the properties. It's the same over most of the New Territories."
The government embarked on a large-scale crackdown on illegal structures late last year, handing out warnings and demolition orders to homeowners with illegal additions.
But some rural leaders have resisted the government action, even calling for a blanket amnesty in New Territories villages.
Although emergency vehicle access (EVA) is a requirement for all residential areas in the city, it is largely ignored in the New Territories, where homeowners often make unauthorised alterations. As a result, illegal walls, parking spaces and other structures often encroach into the streets.