Advertisement

Hong Kong mini-storage provider RedBox fireproofs its facilities to comply with stringent regulations

Fire Services Department introduced new rules to improve safety at mini-storage facilities following the Ngau Tau Kok fire in June 2016

Reading Time:2 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
RedBox Storage was recently acquired by private equity investor InfraRed NF for US$50 million. Photo: K Y Cheng

After a deadly blaze ripped through a mini-storage facility in Ngau Tau Kok in June 2016, one provider has implemented stringent fire safety measures at its units in a bid to restore customers’ faith in the industry. 

Advertisement

According to Simon Tyrrell, chief executive of RedBox Storage, the company has been trialling new, regulator-approved innovations in fireproofing at its storage facilities in Sha Tin and Chai Wan, which he hopes can eventually be rolled out at other suppliers across the city.

Among these is the fire box, which is a firewall made of heavy-duty steel doors that can slow down the spread of fire, and bi-folding doors which leave more space for exit routes in the corridors. 

Stricter regulations for self-storage providers introduced by the Fire Services Department in 2017 require a gap of 2.4 metres between storage islands, and at least 1.05 metre for corridor exit routes.

Advertisement
Oliver Leung, (left), chief operating officer of RedBox Storage, and CEO Simon Tyrell. Photo: K Y Cheng
Oliver Leung, (left), chief operating officer of RedBox Storage, and CEO Simon Tyrell. Photo: K Y Cheng
Advertisement