Fire safety violations still rampant in Hong Kong buildings, official checks find in wake of deadly blaze
- Authorities issue 600 warnings about blocked escape routes and open fire doors after inspecting over 200 buildings following blaze that killed five in Jordan last month
- Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung says investigation into tragedy at New Lucky House revealed some fire doors had been wedged open, allowing smoke to rise up staircases
Hong Kong authorities have issued about 600 warnings over blocked escape routes and open fire doors after inspecting more than 200 buildings following last month’s deadly blaze at a Jordan building where officers found similar problems had accelerated the spread of smoke.
Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin said on Sunday the investigation into the tragedy at New Lucky House revealed that some of the fire doors had been wedged open.
“As a result, thick smoke might have risen along the stairs,” he said. “People might have inhaled the smoke and then fainted or even died.”
Five people died and 43 others were injured in the blaze that broke out at the 60-year-old building. A large number of plastic boxes and wires found at the scene were linked to the spread of the flames and the significant volume of smoke generated.
The fire was brought under control in about 90 minutes.
Yeung advised that in the event of a fire residents should return to their flats if they encountered smoke along their escape routes, as inhaling carbon monoxide for even one or two minutes could lead to loss of consciousness.
New Lucky House was home to hundreds of flats, including about 100 subdivided ones, 35 registered guest houses, a gym, shops, offices and clinics. While the department had issued 77 abatement notices to the building following inspections over the last three years, checks right before the fire broke out focused on the shops on the ground floor, Yeung said.
The blaze thrust the safety hazards that many of the city’s dilapidated buildings posed back into the spotlight. Yeung said the Fire Services Department responded by immediately adjusting its inspection regime to prioritise old buildings and premises occupied for commercial purposes.
“The situation is very unsatisfactory,” Yeung said. “Relatively higher-risk buildings will be inspected once a year. We will increase the number of inspections for these buildings.”
03:18
Hong Kong fire kills 5, injures dozens in Kowloon commercial and residential building
Over the past month, the department had carried out more than 2,000 inspections involving 239 buildings and issued about 600 fire hazard warnings, he added. Half of the cases involved debris blocking fire escapes, while the remainder concerned partially shut fire doors, he said.
The government would propose amendments to the Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance to give the Fire Safety Vetting Committee greater powers to conduct more assessments of buildings, with the framework of the new mechanism to be established in three months, Yeung added.
The committee advises the director of fire services on the use of loans intended to assist homeowners in improving fire or structural safety on a case-by-case basis.
Investigations into New Lucky House following the blaze found the owners’ corporation had been involved in multiple, ongoing non-compliance cases dating as far back as 2008.
Local district councillor Chris Ip Ngo-tung revealed a day after the fire that attempts to resolve the issue in the past were held back by disputes among factions of owners, who were divided over whether to simply carry out the orders or conduct major repairs.
Experts said New Lucky House’s mix of flats and commercial spaces, as well as its age, further fuelled disagreements among owners since they also had to deal with various maintenance issues.
Following the blaze, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said the government would put forward legal amendments to increase the penalty for non-compliance with fire safety orders from a maximum of HK$50,000 (US$6,380) to HK$200,000.
The amendments also would seek further fines for every day the offences continued, ranging from HK$5,000 to HK$20,000.
Additional reporting by Wynna Wong
