After Tianjin explosion, Hong Kong fire official says city is prepared for a chemical disaster

More than a week on from a deadly warehouse explosion in Tianjin , a Hong Kong fire official has assured the public that the city's emergency services are prepared to handle disasters involving hazardous chemicals.

During a chemical disaster drill and equipment demonstration at Sha Tin fire station yesterday, Wong Ka-wing, acting divisional commander for New Territories South, said the Fire Services Department set up a special unit called the hazmat, or hazardous materials, team in 2012 to handle chemical spills.

"We have a database of the dangerous goods stored in Hong Kong," Wong said. "We also regularly inspect those sites, and we conduct some without notice."

The August 12 explosion in Tianjin, which killed 85 people and sent shockwaves as far as 20km away from the blast, was reportedly caused by explosive material igniting at a portside warehouse. The explosion also sparked fears of a chemical spill as 700 tonnes of sodium cyanide was reportedly stored in the now-flattened warehouse.

Wong said the local hazmat team consisted of more than 500 fire fighters, all of whom received a comprehensive 13-day training programme led by staff who received training in the US.

In the event of an actual chemical spill, a risk assessment would be conducted to determine the nature of the spill and a response strategy formulated.