How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno

Neglected fire safety measures and delayed enforcement are now at the center of investigations into Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades. | Contesto: cronaca

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• How fire safety failures worsened Hong Kong’s deadly inferno

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HONG KONG — A catastrophic fire that tore through a densely populated residential building in Hong Kong earlier this week, killing at least 12 people and injuring dozens more, is being attributed by investigators to a cascade of fire safety failures that had been flagged for years but never fully addressed. The blaze, which broke out late Tuesday in a 50-year-old structure in the Kowloon district, marks the city’s deadliest inferno in more than two decades and has reignited scrutiny of building code enforcement and fire prevention protocols. Preliminary findings from the Fire Services Department indicate that critical safety systems, including a sprinkler system and emergency lighting, were either inoperative or absent on several floors of the building. Witnesses reported that smoke detectors failed to activate, and many residents said they were trapped on upper floors because fire doors had been wedged open or removed. Investigators are also examining whether illegally subdivided flats, common in aging Hong Kong tenements, hindered evacuation routes and allowed flames to spread rapidly through the structure. The building had been cited for multiple fire code violations during inspections conducted as recently as 2023, according to records reviewed by this correspondent. Among the outstanding infractions were blocked stairwells, expired fire extinguishers, and unapproved electrical wiring. Despite these findings, no fines were levied, nor were mandatory upgrade orders enforced. City officials have acknowledged that a backlog of safety compliance cases, combined with a shortage of inspectors, has allowed many buildings to operate for years without corrective action. Fire safety experts say the tragedy exposes a systemic gap between Hong Kong’s strict building regulations and their enforcement on the ground. The city has some of the most comprehensive fire codes in Asia, but many older buildings are exempt from retrofitting requirements unless they undergo major renovations. This grandfather clause, intended to ease the burden on property owners, has left thousands of pre-1980s structures without modern fire suppression systems. The building that burned was...

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Categoria: cronaca