Hong Kong government to probe reports that people were living illegally in industrial building hit by fire
Two teenage children living in unit were taken to hospital after inhaling smoke
Two to three units in a Cheung Sha Wan industrial block that caught fire are thought to have been used illegally for housing, prompting the government to launch an investigation.
Two teenage siblings were trapped in one of the homes on the eighth floor of Cheong Fat Factory Building at 265-271 Un Chau Street when the third alarm fire broke out in a warehouse next door at about 11.30pm on Thursday.
Mini-storage facilities are situated on the same and other floors.
Pang Ka-man, 14, and Pang Suen-ming, 16, had to be rescued by firefighters. The pair felt unwell after inhaling choking smoke.
The siblings and a senior fireman who felt unwell while battling the blaze were treated at Caritas Medical Centre. The three are in a stable condition.
The siblings lived in the industrial unit with their mother and stepfather, their father said when he visited the scene of the fire, which was put out at 8.18am.
Acting Kowloon deputy chief fire officer Tsang Wai-ming said from their initial investigation, people were thought to be living in two to three units in the 11-storey building, which was built in 1963 without a sprinkler system – a safety feature not required for industrial blocks completed before 1973.
Tsang said industrial buildings could not be used for residential purposes and they would refer the case to relevant government departments to follow up.
A building security guard surnamed Cheung said the fire was first detected by another landlord on the eighth floor.
“He came back to pick up something and detected some smoke which smelt like plastic,” the guard said.
The guard said they later obtained the security code from the owner of the burning unit.
“There was a fire when we got to it,” he said. “It was quite big. I then got an extinguisher and tried to put it out. But I couldn’t bear it, so I left.”
A man who escaped from the ninth floor recalled his experience. “When I pushed the smoke door, there was so much smoke in the staircase. I couldn’t get down there as it was so smoky. I ran up one floor and used another staircase,” he said.
Chan Chi-kau, who lives in a tenement block about 100 metres away, said he woke up to the smell of burning plastic even though his air conditioner was on.
“I heard ambulance sirens last night but didn’t know the fire was so serious,” he said.
