THE lives of more than half a million people living in Hong Kong's public housing estates are at risk because of a lack of fire extinguishers in apartment blocks.
The Housing Authority says more than 25 housing estates only have three fire extinguishers per block - many of them about 20 storeys high - and, according to residents, only mutual aid committee members and estate staff have the keys allowing access to them.
While the authority last week promised to install another ''two or three'' fire extinguishers in more than 200 blocks across the territory, concerned residents said it was not enough to ensure their safety.
Housing estate concern groups and district board members yesterday described the authority's offer as ''ridiculous''.
''It's not only far from adequate, it's useless since all the fire extinguishers are locked up,'' Kwai Tsing Concern Group chairman Ng Wai-wah said.
He said only members of mutual aid committees and staff of the housing estate offices held the keys.
