A fire at Man Yuen Building on Ferry Street in Jordan on Thursday night killed one person and injured four, with residents reporting that no fire alarm was heard initially and that renovation scaffolding had been erected on the building's exterior.
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Police received reports around 10pm that a flat on the 13th floor – believed to be divided into nine subdivided units – was on fire, with thick smoke billowing. Firefighters deployed one jet and one breathing apparatus team, and used an aerial ladder to battle the blaze.
A charred body was found inside the flat during a search. Three people were taken to Kwong Wah Hospital for treatment, including a 67-year-old woman who suffered burns to her feet. Another person reported feeling unwell. More than 200 residents were evacuated.
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Resident: No alarm heard, went door to door
A resident surnamed Keung, who lives on the 11th floor, said he smelled something burning but heard no alarm. He went door to door knocking to alert neighbours while his family fled downstairs with wet towels. He said one neighbour was feeding a baby when the chaos erupted.
Keung said he did not use a fire hose because it was located near the lift lobby, while he chose to escape via the stairs. He described the smoke in the stairwell as not too thick, but noted that even after reaching the ground floor, the alarm still had not sounded.
"Shouldn't the alarm sound immediately, rather than three or four minutes later?" Keung questioned.
16th-floor resident: escape went smoothly
Another resident, Mr Li, who lives on the 16th floor, said he was not immediately aware of the fire. He was about to rest when his granddaughter smelled something burning and alerted the family. When he checked, he heard the fire alarm and saw smoke in the corridor. He immediately led his family down the stairwell, which he said was not too smoky, making the evacuation relatively smooth.
Building renovation ongoing
Keung said the building had been under renovation for about 18 months to two years. Scaffolding netting was removed after the Wang Fuk Court fire but reinstalled about three months ago.
Li said renovation began in February last year, paused from November to December, and scaffolding and new netting were reinstalled in March or April. The project is now about 70 to 80 percent complete.
