Fire alarm under repair may have failed to alert residents of Hong Kong building to blaze that left 7 injured, 170 evacuated
- Police received reports of blaze at Cheung Fai Mansion at around 6am
- Man, aged between 40 and 60, hospitalised in a critical condition after serious smoke inhalation
A fire detection system under repair might have failed to alert residents of a Hong Kong building to a blaze on Friday morning which left a man in a critical condition and triggered the evacuation of 170 people.
Police said they received reports of a fire at Cheung Fai Mansion on Tong Mi Road in Mong Kok at around 6am.
Senior station officer Sz-to Wang-pan of the Fire Services Department said the alarm system of the residential building, constructed in 1968, was undergoing upgrading works and might have not functioned properly.
“We found the fire alarm system was not activated,” he said. “It may also be due to the heat from the fire affecting the wires in the corridor, failing to alert residents about the fire.”
Sz-to said the fire broke out in the living room of a residential flat, believed to have been rented by a charity for the homeless, and foul play was not suspected.
“We do not rule out the possibility of household appliances in the living room causing the fire, but will need further investigation,” he said.
Thick smoke in the corridors made it difficult for firefighters to locate the source of the blaze and the fact that it erupted early in the morning also posed a challenge when evacuating residents, Sz-to added.
Firefighters rescued three men and four women at the scene, including a man who was found lying unconscious in the corridor on the 10th floor.
Senior ambulance officer Siu Ming-chun said the man, aged between 40 and 60, was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei in a critical condition after serious smoke inhalation.
The other five were seriously injured, while one was in a stable condition, he added.
Sixteen fire trucks and six ambulances were sent to the scene and 30 residents were evacuated. Another 140 people in the building got out by themselves.
Firefighters deployed an turntable ladder to help tackle the blaze, which was extinguished in half an hour.
The department later said it would take enforcement action because it had not been give notice of the shutdown of fire fighting equipment and later checks at the building found related installations did not have valid annual inspection certificates.
It added officers also discovered that the building’s exit signs, as well as fire alarm and emergency lighting systems, were not in effective operational condition.
