Follow-up failures in dealing with fires in Hong Kong industrial buildings
Lessons from a fatal fire in Cheung Sha Wan six years ago have apparently not been learned
The Ngau Tau Kok fire, which has claimed the lives of two firefighters, has tragic parallels to a blaze that ripped through a Cheung Sha Wan factory building six years ago.
Senior fireman Yeung Chun-kit lost his life in the tragedy in 2010.
The latest deaths have exposed the fact that the hazards and lax approach to safety in old factory buildings highlighted in the 2010 fire at the Lai Cheong Factory Building have yet to be addressed.
Including the Ngau Tau Kok blaze, five firefighters have died in four intense fires in the past decade – three involving industrial buildings.
Much focus was put on the inadequacy of firefighters’ gear after Yeung’s death, with the Fire Services Department upgrading breathing apparatus, fire-resistant equipment and communication devices such as walkie-talkies.
But while the government also promised to look into the issue of old industrial buildings being illegally divided into cubicles and review fire safety rules for industrial buildings built before 1973, little has been done.
Pre-1973 buildings are still not required to have sprinklers, despite the issue being identified after the Cheung Sha Wan fire. The government conducted a review six years ago, but nothing has been done since then.
The department inspected 1,787 industrial buildings after the Cheung Sha Wan fire. A report noted that 72 per cent of the buildings had satisfactory fire safety equipment.
However, the findings also showed that fire risks in pre-1973 industrial buildings were higher than in others.
Building plans or approval permits are not currently needed for storage areas in industrial buildings,
The Fire Services Department did not answer questions when the Post approached it about the review.
