Letters | Deadly Hong Kong fire a tragic reminder of safety failings

I am writing in response your report on the deadly blaze in Yau Ma Tei on Sunday, “At least seven dead as fire rips through tenement flat in Hong Kong” (November 15). This is very sad news for everyone in Hong Kong.

The accident raises questions over the apparent lack of fire suppression systems like sprinklers inside the nearly 70-year-old tenement building. As you reported, the Fire Services Department said the block had not been inspected yet as required under the law, but they had not received any complaints about it regarding fire safety over the past five years. The Buildings Department said notices about outstanding issues relating to the building and windows were sent in September 2018, but the owners had yet to comply.

Everybody knows how dilapidated these aged tenement buildings can be, housing small and crowded units. Many people may be crammed into the same subdivided unit along with a lot of flammable belongings. There is no space for people to disperse quickly in case of an accident. As a social worker put it, “Of course they are fire hazards … there’s no monitoring.”