Editorial | Deadly Hong Kong blaze calls for long-needed action
- The time has come to balance public safety with clear rules and efficient enforcement as police investigate whether the Hong Kong premises where seven people contained an illegal restaurant
Fire is an abiding fear in old tenements. But that does not prevent tragedies or necessarily eliminate risks that can be inherent in these structures.
The blaze that swept through a Yau Ma Tei flat on Sunday night is a reminder of that. At least seven people, including a nine-year-old, lost their lives and several others suffered critical injuries.
Our first thoughts are with families who have lost loved ones and the survivors. If they are to have closure and similar tragedies are to be prevented, the police and fire service must leave no stone unturned in their efforts to establish the cause and contributing factors.
Police are investigating whether the flat was operating as an unlicensed restaurant. There are reports people had gathered there to celebrate a birthday. The fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong since nine people died and 34 were injured in a blaze sparked by a row of hawker stalls at the doorstep of a Mong Kok building in late 2011.
That was the worst fire tragedy in the city for 15 years. It highlighted the risks of thousands of old blocks with similar problems, which can include blocked fire escapes and poor building management. We can be thankful such tragedies do not occur more frequently.