Six hurt in fire in subdivided Yau Ma Tei flat
Blaze broke out in unit separated into nine spaces with cardboard, renewing safety fears
Six people were injured, one critically, in a fire at a subdivided flat in Yau Ma Tei yesterday, renewing concerns about the safety of such living spaces.
The fire started at the 49-year-old Man Yuen Building in Man Wai Street at 8.34am. As smoke filled the building, two children escaped to a canopy while other residents climbed on to scaffolding and were rescued by firemen with an aerial ladder.
Among the eight flats on the first floor, where the fire started, five are subdivided, while two are used as storage by a supermarket, according to a security guard.
The owner of the other flat was in the process of applying for a hotel licence, an estate agent on the ground floor said.
The fire broke out in a 560 sq ft flat divided into nine units.
"I could have died," said Papy Kayembe, who has been paying HK$2,500 a month for an 80 sq ft cardboard-divided unit for two years. "I couldn't see through the smoke and had difficulties breathing … I had to drink four bottles of water after escaping from the building. I swear I will not renew my contract."
Firefighters led 33 people out of the building and 55 escaped by themselves. The injured were treated in Kwong Wah Hospital.
Yiu Yau-pon, acting chief of Kowloon Fire Command, South Division, said they were still investigating the cause of the fire.
The Buildings Department said that there were subdivided flats and it would check whether any illegal work had been carried out.
A housing committee commissioned by the government proposed in September that subdivided flats be licensed to better regulate fire safety standards.
Yesterday's fire came a day after the second anniversary of a blaze in Mong Kok that claimed the lives of nine residents of subdivided flats.
Chan Siu-tong, of Yau Tsim Mong district council, called for more building improvements.
"As subdivided flats cannot be rooted out once and for all, the necessary upgrades to the fire system have to be done while not disrupting the residents' livelihood," he said.
Chan said the fire alarms in the building were undergoing maintenance, and residents said they did not hear them.
