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A smoky West Kowloon on Wednesday night as a fire rages on a boat in the harbour. Photo: Facebook

Hong Kong cargo boat fire: false alarms, discomfort and the need for more data – residents recount night of stinking dread

  • Sham Shui Po district worst hit, with air pollution levels beyond normal mark; officials accused of not releasing enough information and timely advice
  • But detectors carried by firefighters indicated no toxicity at scene, while expert estimates stench only lasted a short period with minimal health risks

A strong acrid smell coming from a cargo boat fire in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour swept across the city on Wednesday, sparking panic among some households, with people fearing a blaze had broken out in their buildings.

Sham Shui Po resident Kitty Tong, 67, recounted that the stench – which she likened to the burning of electrical wires – hit her home at around 5pm and prompted her family members to check whether any of their appliances or cables had overheated.

When they looked out into the distance, however, they saw plumes of smoke at sea, prompting them to immediately close the windows, open the door for ventilation, and activate two air purifiers.

“The smoke was very serious at around 7pm,” Tong, a clerk, said. “It blanketed the buildings nearby.”
The blaze broke out in the afternoon on Wednesday and required 15 hours to put out. Photo: Martin Chan
The fumes were coming from a 100-metre-long cargo vessel carrying 3,000 tonnes of metallic waste that caught fire at 5.26pm on Wednesday. More than 180 firefighters spent nearly 15 hours to extinguish the flames by 8.20am the next day.

The Panama-registered cargo vessel – Affluent Ocean – arrived in Hong Kong from Nansha and was then moored at Kellett Anchorage off Stonecutters Island on Monday night. Metallic waste was being loaded onto the vessel from two barges when the fire broke out on Wednesday.

Firefighters douse blaze after three yachts catch fire in Victoria Harbour

While no casualties were reported, some residents who were still coping on Thursday with the lingering smell and resulting discomfort complained that officials should have released more information and guidelines for affected neighbourhoods.

Sham Shui Po was particularly hit hard by the air pollution. The concentration of PM2.5 particles reached a peak of 117.2 micrograms (mcg) per cubic metre at 10pm in the area – more than 10 times the normal hourly level – while the concentration of PM10 particles also reached 166.7mcg, at least eight times the regular hourly mark recorded by the monitoring station.

In Kwai Chung, that figure was 98.3mcg at around 11pm for PM2.5 particles, and 129.7mcg for PM10 particles, also significantly exceeding normal levels.

“When they knew there was waste on the vessel, authorities should be aware of whether toxic gas would be emitted. They should make an announcement and inform people how to deal with it,” Tong said.

A law enforcement source said initial tests by firefighters equipped with smoke detectors indicated the emissions from the vessel during the blaze were not toxic.

Between 6pm and 10pm on Wednesday, the fire department received more than 20 calls from residents living in the Kowloon West region who saw smoke and mistakenly believed a fire had broken out in their neighbourhoods.

Residents of Shing Fu House at Kwai Shing East Estate also reported that their fire alarm rang briefly because of the smoke.

Five hours after residents were alerted by the smoke, the Fire Services Department briefly reported the case on its Facebook page at around 10.45pm, advising the public to stay calm and close their windows. At 11.09pm, the department upgraded the fire’s status to alarm No 3 – on a scale of one to five, with five being the most severe.

“Because of the large piles of metallic waste, the water and foam sprayed from our fireboats could not directly reach the fire sources, hampering our efforts to fight the blaze,” fire services commander Yiu Men-yeung said.

Winds also carried the smoke to Tsing Yi. Photo: Facebook

He added that there were three cargo holds on board the vessel and the blaze broke out in the rear compartment, which was estimated to contain about 1,000 tonnes of scrap metal.

Yiu said low winds at the time were responsible for palls of smoke hanging around the Kowloon West region. Firefighters were still investigating the cause of the flames.

Sham Shui Po District Council chairman Yeung Yuk noted the fire department had to deal with the blaze on Wednesday night, but added the Environmental Protection Department, which monitors air pollution, should have issued reminders to the public.

Five injured as fire sweeps through boats at Shau Kei Wan typhoon shelter

“When the Environmental Protection Department notices such incidents, it should at least ask people to close their windows and doors tight, and explain the potential risks,” he said, pointing out that the public should also be informed if toxic particles were present.

Yeung said residents had sought help from him, with many complaining of headaches and sore throat.

Among those affected was a woman, 73, who only gave her name as Lui. She went to the hospital on Thursday morning after suffering from a dry throat.

The retiree who lives alone agreed the government should have given more advice on the fire.

“I was worried I might suffocate to death without anyone noticing,” she said.

The fire was upgraded to a No 3 alarm blaze. Photo: Martin Chan
In a reply to the Post, the Environmental Protection Department noted the concentration of particles recorded in Sham Shui Po and Kwai Chung were higher than normal after 8pm, and this had lasted for a few hours.

The department said the southwest wind in Victoria Harbour on Wednesday evening brought the smoke around the two areas, but the concentration of pollutants had dropped to normal levels by Thursday morning.

Veteran air scientist Dr Alexis Lau Kai-hon said the phenomenon only lasted for a short period of time, estimating that potential health risks to residents were limited.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: residents angered by lack of advice in wake of ship blaze
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