Lay down fire safety role of building owners in law, expert says after blaze at Hong Kong skyscraper
- Owners should be responsible for assessing fire risks before turning off safety equipment during renovations, former fire services director Anthony Lam says
- Alarms and sprinkler system on lower floors of World Trade Centre were not functioning due to construction work when blaze broke out on Wednesday
Former fire services director Anthony Lam Chun-man, who is now spokesman for the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, said on Thursday that building owners should be responsible for carrying out fire risk assessments before beginning improvement works.
Thirteen people were injured in the four-hour blaze at the 40-storey World Trade Centre in Causeway Bay on Wednesday. Nearly 1,300 people were evacuated, including more than 300 who were trapped on the roof for up to two hours.
Three women were in stable condition in hospital, including a 60-year-old woman who was previously listed as critical, according to a government spokesman.
Due to the construction on the lower floors, the fire-prevention installations, such as the auto-sprinkler system, manual fire alarm and fire detectors, had been turned off on the first to fifth floor.
Many diners and office workers on the upper levels said they were unaware of what was happening until dense smoke spread to their floors.
The Fire Services Department said on Wednesday it had been informed earlier that the fire safety system on the lower floors had been switched off. The department vowed to evaluate whether extra fire safety equipment was needed.
