Even had the capacity of their oxygen tanks been greater, two firemen who died in a blaze in Mong Kok could not have avoided death, a lawyer for the Fire Services Department said. Liu Yuen-ming was making his final submission, before Coroner William Ng Sing-wai summarised evidence yesterday in an inquest into the deaths and those of two others in the blaze at Cornwall Court on August 10, 2008. Liu urged the five jurors to return a verdict of death by accident. He said there was nothing wrong with the equipment, though no system was perfect. Last week, the court heard that the Labour Department had found the capacity of the oxygen tanks insufficient for firemen to use in high-rises and in a blaze of such magnitude. A few other firemen who reached the 12th floor had to change their tanks or wait with residents in a safe place for rescuers, operational safety officer Chim Yuk-ming testified earlier. The jury is to give its verdict today. The blaze, which started at the nightclub on the mezzanine floor, killed senior fireman Siu Wing-fong, 46, fireman Chan Siu-lung, 25, resident Lau Koi-nui, 77, and nightclub hostess Man Sau-king, 39. They died of carbon monoxide poisoning from burning plastic furniture, the court heard. Liu said at least five people had heard Siu's call for help on the radio when his oxygen was running out. But they could not immediately go to the rooftop to help him and Chan. The department had since given firemen small breathing devices to offer to survivors instead of their own masks, Liu said. Also, the radio system had since been made digital. The Labour Department's report said the firemen's radios were unsuitable for use in fires, as the smoke, steam or extreme temperature would interfere with functioning. The radio channel used by the firemen to communicate with one another had become crowded and unclear during the fire, the court heard earlier.
