On the afternoon of Nov. 26, a No. 5 alarm fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, resulting in severe casualties. The Construction Industry Council noted that the industry has strict guidelines for fire safety during engineering works, while a Legislative Council (LegCo) Member questioned flaws in supervision and risk assessment.
Construction Industry Council Executive Director Albert Cheng Ting-ning said on a radio program today (Nov. 30) that the government introduced the Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings as early as 2011 and updated the code the year before last. There are appropriate guidelines and standards for every detail of the works, including aspects such as the flame retardancy of protective nets, tarpaulins, and curtain walls.
Cheng emphasized that every stakeholder should fulfill their duties diligently in accordance with the guidelines.
LegCo Member Lo Wai-kwok, however, noted that in addition to the recent five-alarm fire in Tai Po, there have been multiple fires at construction sites in Hong Kong lately. He believes the authorities have been negligent regarding fire safety at construction sites and urged the industry and the government to enhance fire risk assessments at these sites.
Lo also mentioned that he has lived in Tai Po for over a third of a century and expressed grief over the significant loss of life caused by the fire.
"It is hard to imagine multiple buildings catching fire simultaneously."
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