Editorial | Deadly North Point fire a reminder safety standards must be enforced
There is no excuse for further delays in ensuring residents are kept safe after yet another death in one of the city’s subdivided flats
The shocking extent to which owners of old buildings have ignored official orders to make their properties safe was exposed in April last year after flames ripped through New Lucky House in Yau Ma Tei, leaving five dead and 43 injured. There had been a failure to comply with government fire safety orders dating back to 2008.
The Buildings Department has revealed that more than 9,500 buildings have breached requirements. The average compliance rate was a dismal 37 per cent.
The fire acted as a wake-up call. Since then, a crackdown has been under way on high-risk buildings in a bid to meet safety requirements. Hundreds of properties were inspected, and the Fire Services Department issued more than 8,500 warnings between April and November last year. It reported that more than 92 per cent of the notices had been complied with on time, which is encouraging.
Much-needed changes to fire safety laws, which had been in the pipeline for years, were passed in December, raising penalties and giving authorities the power to step in and rectify problems if owners delay.