A fire broke out at a flat in a public housing estate in Hong Kong’s Tin Shui Wai early on Saturday, leaving a man severely injured, with more than 200 residents evacuated. Authorities received multiple calls at 3.43am on Saturday from residents reporting the blaze at Tin Chak Estate in Tin Shui Wai, with occasional…
Ambiguous rules, lax supervision and uncoordinated policies involving at least four departments are among some deep-rooted problems contributing to the inferno that killed 160 residents in Hong Kong, analysts have said, as the Post reviewed what went wrong. Some industry insiders also questioned whether housing authorities, who oversee a lesser-known independent checking unit, should have…
The owners’ corporation of the Hong Kong housing estate destroyed in last month’s deadly fire is seeking to oust the main contractor and consultant for renovation works after staff from both companies were arrested for alleged manslaughter and corruption. The Fire Services Department, meanwhile, revealed on Thursday that it had conferred the honorary title of…
From shoes, apparel and daily necessities to food, logistics services and even university sponsorships for two orphans, donors from all walks of life have come together to support survivors of the Tai Po fire, Hong Kong’s deadliest in decades. Beyond the HK$3 billion (US$385 million) raised from the private sector and the government as of…
Nearly 300 pets have been rescued from the deadly inferno that engulfed a Hong Kong housing estate last week, including fish, parrots and turtles, with a charity leader saying the recovery efforts have “strengthened her belief in humanity”. The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) said in a social media post that…
Authorities have ordered scaffold netting to be removed at about 200 locations across Hong Kong by Saturday after suspected false safety certificates were found at two building sites following the Tai Po blaze that claimed 159 lives. A week after Hong Kong’s worst inferno in decades, police on Wednesday arrested six men from the company…
Owners of residential buildings in Hong Kong should consider installing sprinklers and smoke detectors rather than relying on fire alarm call points with glass covers, experts have said, after video emerged that appeared to show a resident trying to sound the alarm using one of the boxes at Wang Fuk Court but without success. The…
A global property management giant that was engaged to oversee the tender for fire safety and serve as the interface between residents and renovation contractors at Hong Kong’s ill-fated Wang Fuk Court estate broke its silence on Monday to offer condolences but declined to comment on its involvement. ISS EastPoint, a subsidiary of Denmark-based ISS,…
As Hong Kong mourns the victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and questions emerge on accountability, experts have called for much tighter supervision of building maintenance and fire safety by authorities to hold relevant parties responsible so that future tragedies can be averted. They gave this assessment as the government set up an interdepartmental…
Several more pets have been rescued from the burned buildings of a residential complex in Tai Po, as animal charities continued to search for separated owners and expressed concerns that animals still trapped will have gone days without food or water. Authorities said on Saturday that a sweep of two blocks where flames were first…