Fire official says foul play ruled out after initial investigation of fatal Jordan fire

An initial investigation of the fatal Jordan fire has not found signs of arson or any criminal elements, yet some of the fire doors inside the building were faulty, which could led to heavy smoke in one of the staircases, said a divisional commander from the Fire Services Department.

Speaking to a radio program Thursday morning, Lam Kin-kwan, the Kowloon South divisional commander, said investigators were now looking into whether human error was involved, or whether electrical installations had caused the fire.

He said an inter-departmental task force will look into the cause of the fire and why there were so many casualties.

Sources said the tragic fire is believed to have been caused by a cigarette butt that ignited plastic bags in the building's yard, leading to a rapid escalation of smoke and flames.

The fire department had last inspected the building New Lucky House on February 9 with the building found to have fire service installations.

However, the inspection found that the building owner could have neglected the law of having fire service installations inspected by a registered contractor at least once a year.

Meanwhile, Lam said of the three staircases inside the building, firefighters yesterday found out that some fire doors connecting to one of them were broken - the reason there was heavy smoke inside.

He added that another reason for the heavy smoke is that the fire could have started in the lobby or lightwell near the first or second floor, close to the smoke-filled staircase.

He also said investigators would check whether illegal changes had been made to the layout of the building, which would have added to the difficulty in the rescue operation.

(Updated at 7.26 pm)

Read More: Over 100 residents spend the night at shelter after Jordan fire