Chief Executive Donald Tsang (2nd right) visits a resident who was injured in the Fa Yuen Street fire at Kwong Wah Hospital on Wednesday morning. He was accompanied by York Chow (right), secretary for food and health, Florence Hui (front, 2nd left), acting secretary for home affairs, and Anthony Wu (front, left), chairman of the Hospital Authority. GIS Photo

Chief Executive: Second blaze on same street points to inadequate safety measures

Chief Executive Donald Tsang on Wednesday promised a thorough investigation into the cause of a Mong Kok fire in the morning that killed nine people and injured 34.

He has also directed the Chief Secretary for Administration Stephen Lam to lead an interdepartmental working group to coordinate the follow-up work, including the provision of immediate relief to victims and affected families.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the injured at Kwong Wah Hospital, Tsang said fire-safety measures to prevent such a tragedy after a similar fire in Fa Yuen Street in 2010 were inadequate.

"These measures are just not enough and I am sure we need to do more," he said.

The second fire in less than a year on Fa Yuen Street in Mong Kok has reopened the question of fire safety in the city's tenements, and fire safety regulations applying to hawker stalls.

Zhao Minghong, whose family fled after the outbreak, lived in a nearby building. Her 9-year-old son, Chung Chun-yan, who didn't have his socks on, said he didn't know what was happening when Zhao woke him up.

Zhao took little solace from the fact that the fire broke out four buildings away.

"I am seriously considering moving," said Zhao, who moved to the area in 2009. She has seen two outbreaks since then. "The place is too dangerous."

Secretary for Food and Health York Chow said the government had adopted strengthened measures to prevent fires since the arson in 2010 that caused widespread damage.

He cited requirements for stall operators that goods be stored within certain boundaries, all stalls be kept at a distance from surrounding buildings, and that non-combustible materials be used to isolate the stalls.

Clement Leung Cheuk-man, director of food and environmental hygiene, said that around 600 street hawkers had been prosecuted owing to fire hazards since the fatal fire in 2010.

Around 200 warning letters were issued in November, to owners whose goods obstructed pavements, he said.

Zhao said, however, she did not notice any change, except that the government repaired the scorched areas.

"I even saw more stalls installed in the empty space near the end of the street," said Zhao.

After the deadly fire incident on Dec 6, 2010, it was suggested that owners' corporations be held accountable for installations of the facilities, according to Chan Wai-keung, member of the Yau Tsim Mong District Council.

Chan also noted that some of the stall owners may have failed to follow regulations strictly.

He said that the stalls were once well-aligned, but resumed messy and obstructive during holiday seasons, when goods pile up.

Chan suggested the government impose such measures as those that apply on Tung Choi Street, where stalls are open only during the daytime, and closed and dismantled at night.

The Yau Tsim Mong District Council will hold an emergency meeting on Friday to look into whether the Fire Services Department and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department have stringently enforced the law.

Andrea Deng and Fan Feifei contributed to the story.

China Daily

(HK Edition 12/01/2011 page1)