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Six months after fatal fire, a third of mini-storage centres in Hong Kong found to breach safety rules

Operators complain crackdown has left the industry on brink of collapse, with customers facing steep rise in charges

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The Fire Services Department identified numerous problems inside storage facilities. Photos: Handouts
A third of the 756 mini-storage outlets checked in a citywide inspection failed to meet fire safety regulations, six months after an inferno at a storage facility claimed the lives of two firemen.
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But operators criticised the crackdown and said the strict enforcement would mean steeper costs for customers.

The storage business has boomed in recent years as people seek ways to combat limited living space amid spiralling property prices.

Summing up the inspection results on Thursday, the Fire Services Department highlighted some key major irregularities that posed serious safety risks: emergency exits with substandard locks; narrow corridors between storage zones; hose reels that failed to give enough coverage; and obstructed windows.

In the event of a fire, such problems would obstruct escape routes, get in the way of rescue work and facilitate the spreading of a fire.

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A total of 1,267 fire hazard abatement notices were issued to 257 operators, of which at least 50 had complied with the fire safety requirements as of last Friday.

The Lands Department found that almost a quarter of 871 storage facilities had contravened land lease conditions as some storage facilities cannot be housed in buildings zoned for industrial use.

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