Hong Kong building residents return to collect belongings after deadly blaze, as some complain of long-standing safety worries
- Residents begin trickling back to 60-year-old building where blaze killed five and injured 43 the day before, with access allowed for some to retrieve belongings
- Some voice frustration at long-standing safety worries, blaming owners’ corporation over inaction despite warnings and official orders
Dozens of tenants gathered outside the 60-year-old New Lucky House in Yau Ma Tei on Thursday morning, a day after the fire, with police officers accompanying some of the upper-floor residents inside. They later left with luggage and trolleys, while firefighters also helped the elderly carry their belongings.
The building’s water supply and electricity have not yet resumed. Government workers from various departments were deployed at the scene.
Ching Po-kiu, 70, visited the 16-storey building in the morning hoping to check her mother’s flat. She said safety concerns were a long-standing headache.
“The guest houses always leave belongings in the corridor,” said Ching, pointing to examples such as clothes and pillows being left out. “We have raised the issue to the property management but they haven’t done anything.”
Ching said she was worried about the safety of her mother, who did not want to move out.
Authorities set up a help desk outside the building for residents in need on Thursday, with police officers, firefighters and workers wearing construction helmets also on site. Some tourists were also seen waiting outside.
A resident who did not wish to be named said the building’s safety equipment was of very poor standard, adding hosepipe reels had decayed and fire doors were always open.
She was also unhappy with the owners’ corporation, alleging that it did nothing to improve the situation and only collected property management fees.
Another occupant said the owners’ corporation had held many meetings to discuss the repairs over the past decade but in vain as there were disputes.
“All individual owners want to renovate the building but we do not know when it will happen. Because some do not want to pay the money,” said the woman, who did not want to give her name.
Visitor Hong Weng, a 42-year-old engineer from Malaysia who had been staying at a friend’s flat, also voiced concern over the fire alarm’s quietness.
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Hong Kong fire kills 5, injures dozens in Kowloon commercial and residential building
“We didn’t realise the fire alarm was ringing … The sound was very soft. So [it was not] until we opened the wooden door, [that] we could smell the burning,” he said, adding that he saw flames and smoke as he escaped through a corridor and went downstairs.
He said he was supposed to head to Macau, but was stuck in Hong Kong until he could retrieve his belongings.
Hong Kong building at site of deadly blaze did not comply with 2008 safety orders
UK tourist Erlando Atlo, 42, said the fire alarm in his guest-house room was not working and the building was poorly maintained.
“It’s not very clean. The lobby, especially [the] gym and the elevator,” he said.
Atlo, his wife and four-year-old daughter were supposed to fly out on Thursday but they changed their flights to Friday to play it safe.
Tenant Kader Miah, 51, was among those returning home for a short visit and got clothes and medicine. He planned to spend the coming nights at the nearby shelter.
He said his floor was not damaged much but lower storeys had a “big problem”, including dust everywhere.
Abdoh Rhattab, a 51-year-old delivery man living on the 16th floor, said his flat’s door was broken and it would cost him several thousand dollars to repair.
The blaze broke out on Wednesday at around 8am in the commercial and residential building where a gym and 35 registered guest houses were located. About 100 subdivided flats, tiny “shoebox” homes notorious for poor hygiene and safety, are also crammed into the site.
Firefighters said plastic boards and electrical wiring installed in the first-floor lobby of the building were a potential source of the fire. An investigation is continuing.
The Buildings Department said the owners’ corporation had ignored an order issued 16 years ago to update its fire equipment to the latest standards.
The owners’ corporation was also required to carry out a compulsory inspection in 2018. It hired an inspector last April, but the work has yet to be carried out.
As of Wednesday, the Fire Services Department had received 10 fire safety complaints about the building since April 2021. Its last inspection in February did not uncover any dangers.
The department also issued three notices to the building to eliminate risks during the same period, all of which were complied with.
