Illegal fuel station busted in To Kwa Wan shop amid rising cases

An illegal fuel station operating out of a ground-floor shop unit in To Kwa Wan was uncovered recently, with the Fire Services Department (FSD) noting a concerning uptick in such illicit activities across urban districts.

The discovery was made after police referred the case to the FSD at around 7pm on Wednesday (March 11). Inspectors arrived at Block D of the Yee Fung Building, where they found refuelling equipment such as an oil tank and fuel gun inside the premises.

Authorities seized 850 litres of petrol from the unlicensed premises. A man was arrested during the investigation, and he will be prosecuted for allegedly violating the Dangerous Goods Ordinance and Fire Service (Installations and Equipment) Regulations.

Further investigation revealed transaction records linked to multiple vehicles, confirming that the site was actively used for illegal refuelling. The FSD does not rule out prosecuting the owners of the vehicles involved.

The owner of the shop unit, surnamed Ng, said the unit has been rented out for about a month and claimed the tenant described the business as a vehicle garage and insisted he was unaware of any illegal activities.

He only learned the shop was being used as an illegal fuel station this morning when the FSD contacted him after being unable to reach the tenant.