Mong Kok fire alarm failure leaves multiple tenants in severe conditions

A man is in critical condition and five others in serious condition after a fire broke out in Mong Kok with the malfunctioning alarm surprising some 170 residents on Friday morning. 

Around 6 am today, police received multiple reports about a unit on the 10/F of Cheung Fai Mansion on Tong Mei Road having caught ablaze. 

Firefighters soon deployed two breathing apparatus teams and one water jet and put out the fire at around 6.40 am. 

Three men and four women aged 34 to 78 were sent to Kwong Wah Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment. That included a 56-year-old man surnamed Lau who had collapsed on the stairs and was found by firefighters. 

They all felt unwell after inhaling smoke firefighters said. 

Lau is in critical condition and five others are in serious conditions. The remaining one is in a stable condition. One of the men brought alongside his 17-month-old baby girl to hospital as well. 

Firefighters helped bring out some 30 people and around 140 residents evacuated from the building on their own. 

After investigation, firefighters believe that the incident was caused by a short circuit of an electrical appliance in the unit. 

It is understood that the building was built before 1987 and was in the process of renovating their fire alarm system. It is suspected that the heat at the scene might have affected the circuits inside the fire alarm which may have prevented them from ringing. 

No foul play is suspected, but an investigation is still ongoing. 

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