Seven critical after flats inferno
Seven people were fighting for their lives yesterday after they had been trapped in a burning Ngau Tau Kok building known by fire officers to be hazardous.
The blaze started at about 2.30am when a fuse box on the staircase of the Lap Shing Building in Ngau Tau Kok Road short-circuited and caught fire.
It spread rapidly through the nine-storey apartment block with shops on the ground floor.
Firemen broke into 15 flats to rescue residents. Fifty-three people, aged one to 73, were taken to the United Christian, Queen Elizabeth, Kwong Wah and Prince of Wales hospitals. The fire was put out 80 minutes later.
Last night, 23 remained in hospital, including seven in critical condition with severe breathing difficulties caused by smoke inhalation.
Fire officials said the building had been checked in March as part of its inspection of 60,000 private buildings.
'During the inspection, we found the electricity wires were chaotic and worn out,' said Chan Yun-piu, senior divisional officer from Fire Protection Command. 'We immediately issued a written notice to the [Electrical and Mechanical Services Department] and referred the building for follow-up.' Last night, the department was unable to say whether the Lap Shing Building had been checked by its inspectors. 'We are still investigating the incident. No details are available at the moment,' a spokesman said.
The building had been re-wired between mid-1996 and last year, and the contractor had made minor repairs since then, said Chan Wah-keung, chairman of the incorporated owners of the building.
In April 1997, he said, the Fire Services Department inspected the building and told tenants to move obstructions from the escape routes.
Legislator James To Kun-sun from the Democratic Party said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department should have warned tenants.
'But the public should take a more active role in improving fire safety,' he said. 'The public tend to ignore the potential risks until legal action is taken,' he said.
