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Danny Mok

Raymond Yeung

Peace Chiu

A brother and sister hurt in a fire at an industrial building in Cheung Sha Wan were living in one of the building’s cubicles, their father revealed, as firefighters largely put out the blaze nearly nine hours after it started Thursday.
Firefighters confirmed at least two units were suspected to have been illegally used as residences in the 53-year-old industrial block housing mini-storage facilities, one of which was located on the same floor as the fire scene.
Hong Kong government inspects storage units after Ngau Tau Kok fire
The blaze, coming soon after the inferno that killed two firemen at a mini-storage facility in Ngau Tau Kok last month, started at 11.30pm in an eighth-floor flat of Cheong Fat Factory Building on Un Chau Street.
Two teenage siblings – Pang Ka-man, 14, and Pang Suen-ming, 16 – and a senior fireman felt unwell at the scene and were taken to hospital.
The fire was upgraded to a No 3 alarm at 12.19am Friday and brought under control at 6.24am. It was largely put out at 8:18am.
Fires are rated on a scale of one to five, with five being most serious.

An investigation was underway to find the cause of the fire. Possibilities included an electrical fault and human conduct.
The Fire Services Department sent 24 fire engines and deployed about 120 fire and ambulance personnel to battle the blaze, including eight breathing apparatus teams.
A department spokeswoman said the children and the fireman were all in a stable condition at Caritas Medical Centre in Sham Shui Po.
The children’s father later visited the scene and said the two lived with their mother and stepfather in“cubicles” on the same floor as the burning storage unit.
Hong Kong government rejects need for independent inquiry into Ngau Tau Kok fire
Acting Kowloon deputy chief fire officer Tsang Wai-ming said the flat, measuring 15 by 20 metres, was used for storage, with wooden planks subdividing it.
“There were also items cluttering the flat,” he said. “As such, there were certain difficulties during our rescue as we had to navigate a smoke-filled environment.”
Terrance Tsang Wing-hung, deputy chief fire officer for safety, said an investigation led the department to suspect two to three units in the building were used as subdivided flats or for other residential purposes.
He added that, before the fire, the department had checked two out of the building’s six mini-storage facilities and had found illegalities, such as passageways not meeting fire evacuation regulations.
Tsang Wai-ming said industrial buildings could not be used for residential purposes. “We will refer this to relevant government departments to follow up,” he said.

The 11-storey block was built in 1963 and lacked a sprinkler system – a safety feature not required of local industrial buildings completed before 1973.
A building security guard said the fire was first detected by another landlord on the eighth floor.
“He came back to pick up something and detected some smoke which smelt like plastic,” the guard said. “He informed the management office but we don’t have the contact number of the landlord (of the flat on fire).”
 
He added the landlord of the burning flat was later contacted and that they obtained the security code to open the door.
“There was fire on the side when we got to it,” he continued. “It was quite big. I then got an extinguisher and tried to put it out. But I couldn’t bear it, so I left.”
A witness said the fire had started on the eighth-floor flat, which was an office. She said she worked for a mini-storage facility on the third and fourth floors, which were unaffected.
Playing with fire: deadly failings of Hong Kong’s booming storage trade
A man at the scene said: “When I pushed the smoke door, there was so much smoke in the staircase. I couldn’t get down there as it was so smoky. I ran up one floor and used another staircase.”
Advertisements for mini storages lined the windows of at least four other floors of the factory complex.
One of them, eStorage, told the Post over the phone that the branch is closed today as there was no lift service inside the building.

Another operator, Galilee Store which runs four mini storage premises in the building, said there was no electricity supply and asked all customers to visit at a later time.
Many local residents were not aware there were residents inside the block, although they said they would not be surprised if such was the case.
Mini-storage fire at Hong Kong industrial building prompts debate on declaring stored goods
Property agents in the vicinity all offered subdivided rooms, which charge monthly rents of between HK$4,000-6,000.
When asked if they were legal, one of the agents would only say the units were located in residential blocks, and they don’t deal with sub-divided rentals in industrial buildings.
The location of the fire


Additional reporting by Owen Fung


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Ngau Tau Kok fire

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They and a fireman were hospitalised after the No 3 alarm blaze overnight

A water jet was deployed to contain the blaze.

A woman was injured in the fire.

The fire started at 11.30pm in an eighth-floor flat of the Cheong Fat Factory Building on Un Chau Street. 08JUL16 SCMP/ Felix Wong

Firemen at the scene of the blaze in Kowloon. Photo: Felix Wong

Mini-storage fire at Hong Kong industrial building prompts debate on declaring stored goods

Firemen pick up their equipment after 5 days of 4th alarm fire in Ngau Tau Kok industrial building continues. Photo: Sam Tsang

Follow-up failures in dealing with fires in Hong Kong industrial buildings

Firemen fight the blaze in Cheung Sha Wan in March 2010. Photo: David Wong

Playing with fire: deadly failings of Hong Kong’s booming storage trade

Two Hong Kong firemen died while tackling the inferno at the Ngau Tau Kok industrial building. Photo: Edward Wong

Hong Kong Secretary for Security Lai Tung-kwok attends the Legco meeting on second reading of the controversial Copyright (Amendment) Bill in Legco Chamber in Tamar. 06JAN16 SCMP/ Dickson Lee

Fourth-alarm blaze in Ngau Tau Kok industrial building continues. 23JUN16 SCMP/ Edward Wong

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Hong Kong

Health & Environment

They and a fireman were hospitalised after the No 3 alarm blaze overnight


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They and a fireman were hospitalised after the No 3 alarm blaze overnight