Fire hazards still riddle Fa Yuen Street despite repairs after blaze
Lessons from the Mong Kok tragedy last year have failed to take hold in the building's recent renovation
Illegal construction work, blamed for the high death toll in the deadly Mong Kok blaze last year, is back in evidence at the fire-damaged building.
Renovation is largely complete in the eight-storey building at 192-194 Fa Yuen Street, where nine people died and 34 were injured in a fire last November. But some flats have again been illegally subdivided into self-contained rooms of about 200 sq ft each and at least one fire exit has been walled up.
The tenants are mainly new migrants or South Asian construction workers.
In a visit to the building yesterday, the South China Morning Post found that a fire exit on the fifth floor had been walled up to become part of a room. Huts built on the rooftop blocked a fire escape to the roof, and shoe racks, empty bottles and plastic buckets cluttered the staircase.
Fire safety officers who yesterday made their first visit to the building in six months, spotted two obstructed fire escapes, Director of Fire Services Chan Chor-kam said.
"We have conducted more than 10 on-spot checks after the fire. The last time was in February," said Chan, adding that his department's aim was to do safety checks on buildings in Mong Kok, Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui at least once a year.
Buildings Department officers also visited the block yesterday but failed to get into some of the units because no one answered the door.