Fire services to be ‘gatekeepers’ for safety, Hong Kong security chief vows

Secretary for Security says responsibility for fire safety ultimately lies with Fire Services Department, amid fallout from Tai Po blaze

Hong Kong’s security chief has reaffirmed that fire services will act as the gatekeeper for safety after a legal vacuum was exposed during an inquiry into the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, stressing the department’s existing manpower could cope with expanded oversight duties.

Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung on Tuesday reiterated the pledge earlier made by Fire Services Department Director Andy Yeung Yan-kin during the hearings into the inferno at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po.

The blaze that raged across seven of the eight towers at the housing estate last November was the deadliest in Hong Kong since 1948, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000.

“The responsibility for fire safety ultimately lies with the Fire Services Department. We are the department acting as the final gatekeeper,” Tang told lawmakers at a panel meeting.

“Any potential fire safety risk or hazards, the Fire Services Department will handle that.”

Tang’s comments came as the government rolled out a series of proposed amendments to the Fire Services Ordinance to strengthen oversight in response to the blaze.