3 h. ago Reflections | In wake of Tai Po blaze, China’s long and difficult struggle fighting fire

Reflections | In wake of Tai Po blaze, China’s long and difficult struggle fighting fire  South China Morning Post

Events

15 h. ago Hong Kong steps up mental health support for Tai Po fire victims

Hong Kong authorities will step up mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po fire, the city’s deadliest blaze in several decades, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, with about two-thirds of patients having been discharged from hospitals. Ten days since the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, Secretary of Health Lo Chung-mau said on Friday that all 79 patients admitted to hospital due to the fire were considered no longer at risk, but noted some expressed feelings of guilt...

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15 h. ago Hong Kong to focus on mental health support after fire, seek smoking ban at sites

Hong Kong authorities will make mental health support for people affected by the Tai Po blaze a priority in the aftermath of the tragedy, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu has announced, as the government said it intended to push for a blanket ban on smoking at construction sites. Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Lee said that not only the residents of Wang Fuk Court, but the entire community could move out of deep sorrow with proper mental health support. “Everyone is experiencing this...

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18 h. ago Hong Kong Baptist University suspends student union amid fire

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) has suspended the operation of its student union after removing messages from campus that mourned victims of the deadly Tai Po blaze and demanded justice. According to the union, they were informed by the university on Thursday night that their operations had been halted until further notice. The university did not specify whether the suspension was linked to the union’s recent posts about the devastating fire at Wang Fuk Court on the campus bulletin board it...

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22 h. ago Hong Kong developers push for smoking ban at construction sites after deadly fire

Major Hong Kong developers are considering a blanket ban on smoking for workers at all construction sites following the deadly Tai Po blaze that killed 159, with at least two already demanding that all their contractors impose the tough rule or step up penalties. The Real Estate Developers Association (REDA) told the Post on Friday that it was gathering views on the smoking ban from its members, including major developers such as Sino Land, Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai and New World...

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37 h. ago Hong Kong firefighters describe rescue efforts during Tai Po estate blaze

Firefighters have described the gruelling conditions they faced in their search for survivors of Hong Kong’s worst fire in more than seven decades, with rescuers climbing dozens of flights of stairs as they conserved oxygen to look for anyone alive on the higher floors. For some firefighters, the operation has left them with feelings of guilt and helplessness after they only found bodies. One said encountering the scattered corpses had given him nightmares that left him unable to sleep normally...

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37 h. ago Nightmares for days: Hong Kong firefighters open up about Tai Po blaze

Firefighters have described the gruelling conditions they faced in their search for survivors of Hong Kong’s worst fire in more than seven decades, with rescuers climbing dozens of flights of stairs as they conserved oxygen to look for anyone alive on the higher floors. For some firefighters, the operation has left them with feelings of guilt and helplessness after they only found bodies. One said encountering the scattered corpses had given him nightmares that left him unable to sleep normally...

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37 h. ago ‘Darkest corner’: firefighters haunted by Hong Kong blaze but vow to keep serving

Firefighters have described the gruelling conditions they faced in their search for survivors of Hong Kong’s worst fire in more than seven decades, with rescuers climbing dozens of flights of stairs as they conserved oxygen to look for anyone alive on the higher floors. For some firefighters, the operation has left them with feelings of guilt and helplessness after they only found bodies. One said encountering the scattered corpses had given him nightmares that left him unable to sleep normally...

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45 h. ago 16 students who lost homes in Hong Kong fire get financial support, school supplies

Sixteen Hong Kong students from a secondary school opposite the scene of the deadly blaze in Tai Po have received financial support, new textbooks and uniforms after losing their homes to the fire, their principal has said. Cheng Sze-wang, head of Wong Shiu Chi Secondary School, also said on Thursday that the students were temporarily staying with their relatives or in other homes within the district. Students in need were also offered counselling, while all dictations and assessments had been...

Society

50 h. ago Manslaughter hard to prove in Hong Kong fire amid regulatory gaps, experts warn

Shortcomings in Hong Kong’s building regulations could complicate efforts to prove manslaughter in the Tai Po housing estate blaze that killed 159 people, according to legal and construction experts. Police have arrested 21 people so far, including 15 for alleged manslaughter, after authorities found flammable foam panels and nets that were not flame-retardant on the scaffolding that covered the eight blocks of Wang Fuk Court, which had been under renovation since July last year. The blaze at...

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58 h. ago Hong Kong orders scaffold netting to be removed at 200 sites in wake of inferno

Authorities have ordered scaffold netting to be removed at about 200 locations across Hong Kong by Saturday after suspected false safety certificates were found at two building sites following the Tai Po blaze that claimed 159 lives. A week after Hong Kong’s worst inferno in decades, police on Wednesday arrested six men from the company responsible for the fire alarm system at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, where the blaze ripped through seven towers covered in bamboo scaffolding and...

Politics

64 h. ago Rivals push insurance reforms, easier fire claims in Hong Kong poll race

Hong Kong’s insurers should make it easier for residents affected by the deadly Tai Po fire to file claims and consider incorporating fire safety inspection results into underwriting, according to sector representatives contesting a seat in the legislature. Insurance sector hopefuls Chan Pui-leung and Simon Lam Yat-tung made the appeals on Wednesday during a government-led forum, the first held since last week’s blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which claimed at least 159 lives. Chan, the...

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64 h. ago Rivals push insurance reforms, easier fire claims in Hong Kong election race

Hong Kong’s insurers should make it easier for residents affected by the deadly Tai Po fire to file claims and consider incorporating fire safety inspection results into underwriting, according to sector representatives contesting a seat in the legislature. Insurance sector hopefuls Chan Pui-leung and Simon Lam Yat-tung made the appeals on Wednesday during a government-led forum, the first held since last week’s blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which claimed at least 159 lives. Chan, the...

Politics

64 h. ago Residents of sole block spared in Hong Kong fire return home to collect essentials

Carrying luggage and weeping, residents of the sole tower spared in the deadly blaze at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po returned to their flats on Wednesday to collect valuables, warm clothes, personal documents, home appliances and pets. Some of those who returned to Wang Chi House said they felt heartbroken going back even though their flats were largely unaffected. They arrived individually and also by shuttle buses, accompanied by government personnel. Two members of each household were...

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67 h. ago Authorities dispel rumours Hong Kong fire survivors housed in unfinished flats

Hong Kong’s Housing Department has dispelled rumours that survivors of the deadly Tai Po blaze are staying in interim housing with unfinished floors, after a social media user claimed residents were moving into flats in poor condition. A department spokesman said on Wednesday that no residents from the Wang Fuk Court fire were staying in interim housing at the moment. Interim housing refers to accommodation mainly for people affected by natural disasters or government clearance...

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3 d. ago Hongkongers gather on seventh day after Tai Po fire to grieve and demand answers

Residents and mourners have demanded that the Hong Kong government ramp up its investigations to hold responsible parties accountable, as they gathered to mark the seventh day after the start of the city’s worst fire in seven decades. Hundreds of people assembled at the Kwong Fuk sit-out area on Tuesday, laying flowers, writing messages of grief and praying for those who died in the blaze that engulfed Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po last week. Among them was Lui Yuk-lin, a 62-year-old...

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3 d. ago Families of domestic helpers killed in Hong Kong blaze to get nearly HK$800,000

Families of domestic workers who died in the Tai Po fire will each receive nearly HK$800,000 (US$102,718) in condolence and compensation payments, Hong Kong’s labour chief has said. As of 5pm on Tuesday, 10 domestic workers were among the 156 residents confirmed dead in last week’s blaze at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, while the fate of 30 others remained unclear. Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han on Tuesday said families of the deceased workers would receive more than HK$500,000...

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3 d. ago Hong Kong educators call for a ‘return to normalcy’ after Tai Po fire tragedy

Schools in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district that were not severely affected by the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court should resume in-person classes and follow their original timetables, a head teachers’ representative has said, adding that this would help students regain normalcy and heal from grief. Chu Wai-lam, chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association, said on Tuesday that many schools in the district had also organised mourning activities, which he believed would help relieve...

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3 d. ago Hong Kong educators call for a ‘return to normality’ after Tai Po fire tragedy

Schools in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district that were not severely affected by the deadly blaze at Wang Fuk Court should resume in-person classes and follow their original timetables, a head teachers’ representative has said, adding that this would help students return to normality and heal from grief. Chu Wai-lam, chairman of the New Territories School Heads Association, said on Tuesday that many schools in the district had also organised mourning activities, which he believed would help relieve...

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3 d. ago No tolerance for sabotage of Hong Kong fire relief efforts, John Lee warns

Hong Kong’s leader has warned that authorities will not tolerate any attempts to sabotage relief efforts for residents affected by the city’s deadliest fire in decades, after national security police made arrests for alleged sedition related to the blaze. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu on Tuesday also pledged to roll out systemic reforms and said those responsible for the tragedy would be held accountable after being asked why he should remain in his position following the fire. Last week’s...

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