The Fire Services Department conducted fire safety inspections in plain clothes on 36 high-risk commercial buildings over the past two weekends, discovering 259 violations and resulting in 37 direct prosecutions, as part of ongoing efforts to enhance oversight following the deadly Tai Po fire.
The department previously launched inspections on 132 commercial buildings last December. During the past weekends, follow-up inspections focused on 31 buildings with “less than ideal” conditions that had a higher number of violations, along with an additional five buildings identified as having higher fire risks.
Lai Kin-mo, senior division officer of the department’s Building Improvement Strategy and Special Operations, noted that plain-clothes officers detected a total of 259 violations, 60 percent of which involved blocked escape routes, while the remaining cases included damaged or wedged smoke doors.
70 fire hazard abatement notices were issued and 37 prosecutions were made in these operations.
Lai said the department will continue to deploy officers in casual wear for surprise safety inspections, increase patrol frequency for identified high-risk buildings and enforce the law rigorously. It will also maintain communication with property management and continue public education efforts.
He added that the department is aware of public concerns regarding buildings with elevated fire risks and is actively collecting information on frequently visited sites that may not meet safety standards, promising to enhance patrol efforts.
Meanwhile, FSD set up four Divisional Public Safety Teams at the end of March last year, covering New Territories South, Kowloon West, Kowloon South and Hong Kong Central.
Lai highlighted five key objectives of the safety teams, which included establishing a district management system, proactively inspecting target buildings to minimize fire risks, and educating residents on fire prevention and disaster awareness. The teams will also collect data for the district risk mapping and utilize big data to develop long-term fire safety strategies.
As of last month, the four teams had inspected over 1,300 target buildings, issuing more than 4,000 fire hazard abatement notices and making over 300 direct prosecutions.
He said the department plans to gradually set up teams in other districts and will regularly assess their effectiveness, making adjustments based on resources and progress.
