Hong Kong firefighters from ethnic minority groups help bridge the gap with residents who can’t speak Cantonese or English
- Officers played key role in explaining recent lockdowns to confused residents
- Fire service has four officers of Pakistani origin and two from the Philippines
The 29-year-old, based at Tsim Sha Tsui Fire Station, recalled strong smoke and flames coming out of the old tenement building in Yau Ma Tei when he arrived that night. The blaze, the city’s deadliest in nearly a decade, killed eight people and injured 10 others, all Nepalis.
Going up an aerial platform to rescue those trapped in the building, he soon realised the victims were members of ethnic minority communities, like himself.
But that did not make a difference, he said. “My first instinct was to rescue people. I always treat those who need help equally,” Mohammad said.
He is one of several officers of ethnic minority backgrounds among the Fire Services Department’s workforce of about 10,000, including four of Pakistani origin, and two from the Philippines.
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Hong Kong tenement fire kills at least seven people, injures several more
Mohammad was seven years old when he came to Hong Kong with his parents from Pakistan.