‘Regulatory vacuum’: Hong Kong fire probe reveals confusion over safety roles

Fire services official tells inquiry his department lacks construction expertise and cannot act on flammable material complaints, highlighting systemic confusion. | Contesto: cronaca

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• ‘Regulatory vacuum’: Hong Kong fire probe reveals confusion over safety roles

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A public inquiry into Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has exposed profound confusion among government departments over their roles in supervising large renovation projects. The revelation came during testimony from a senior fire services officer, who stated his department does not take legal action over breaches involving flammable building materials because it lacks the necessary construction expertise. The hearing, part of a coroner’s inquest into the tragedy, is scrutinizing the regulatory failures that may have contributed to the loss of life. Michael Yung Kam-hung, an assistant director of the Fire Services Department, delivered the stark admission on Wednesday. He explained that when his department receives complaints about potentially dangerous materials on construction sites, it does not pursue enforcement because assessing such materials falls outside its purview. This stance points to a critical gap in the city’s safety oversight, where a key agency responsible for fire prevention feels unequipped to intervene on a fundamental fire risk during building works. The testimony suggests a regulatory vacuum where hazardous practices can slip between the mandates of different bodies. The fire, which occurred in a building undergoing extensive renovation, claimed multiple lives and stands as the most lethal blaze in Hong Kong in over fifty years. Preliminary investigations had pointed to the presence of highly flammable materials as a major factor in the fire's rapid spread and intensity. The ongoing inquest aims to determine the precise causes and circumstances of the deaths, with a particular focus on whether systemic lapses in enforcement and coordination allowed dangerous conditions to persist unchecked. Legal experts and safety advocates following the proceedings have expressed alarm at the implications of the testimony. They argue that the fire services' position creates a dangerous loophole. If the department tasked with fire safety feels it cannot act on flammable materials—a primary fuel for fires—then the question of which agency is ultimately accountable remains disturbingly unanswered. This confusion over jurisdictional boundaries and...

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Categoria: cronaca