After an explosion at a Wong Tai Sin auto repair shop killed three and injured eight on Sunday, the fire services department yesterday conducted inspections on 50 other garages in the area.
(It was originally reported that nine people were injured).
The inspection found no signs of the over-storage of dangerous goods or unauthorised hot works (i.e. the use of oxy-acetylene cylinders for welding).
The fire services department will be checking all of Hong Kong’s 2,700 garages, as soon “as practical”.
A spokesman said that the government is “very concerned” about the fire, with Secretary for Security Lai Tung-Kwok chairing a meeting between the government departments for fire services, the police, electrical and mechanical services, buildings, transport and home affairs.
The Security Bureau, along with the six departments, will set up a taskforce to follow up on the incident
The initial investigation on the Wong Tai Sin explosion found that the liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank of a taxi that was inside the garage at the time was intact on the surface.
The garage was on the ground floor of a five-storey residential building.
The building’s staircase was seriously damaged, and the buildings department is looking into repairing the structure.
The police have also been working with the fire department by taking statements from witnesses.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the Wong Tai Sin district crime squad at (+852) 2352-9477 or (+852) 2352-9456.
Photo: Apple Daily
