Hong Kong to speed up on tougher laws to punish those who flout fire safety orders after fatal blaze in Kowloon

City leader John Lee says Security Bureau told to table legal amendments for Legco in two to three months, week after fire at New Lucky House left five dead

‘We [will try] to shorten the duration of time that [is needed] for actual action to be taken against those who have not complied,’ he adds

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The aftermath of the fire at New Lucky House. Photo: May Tse

Published: 2:16pm, 16 Apr 2024Updated: 8:07pm, 16 Apr 2024

Hong Kong’s leader has pledged to speed up legislative efforts to empower law enforcement to tackle non-compliance with fire safety orders and adopt stricter penalties for such defiance after a blaze at a 60-year-old building left five dead and 43 injured last week.

Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Tuesday that he had instructed the Security Bureau to table legal amendments in two to three months and he hoped lawmakers could pass the proposals this year.

Last Wednesday’s deadly blaze at the New Lucky House residential and commercial building in Yau Ma Tei has thrust fire safety back into the spotlight. It was found that a fire safety order issued 16 years ago was not addressed due to a long-running dispute among owners over the necessary upgrades. Authorities also noted that 11 floors had damaged fire-resistant doors.

Authorities have also said five prosecutions were filed against owners in the past decade, with the charges related to obstruction of escape routes, failure to maintain fire fighting equipment and a lack of annual gear inspections.

“The fire at Jordan, I think it is a tragic incident that everybody tried to prevent it from further happening,” Lee told reporters before meeting with his top Executive Council advisers.

“We will be making our enforcement action procedure more efficient. We [will try] to shorten the duration of time that [is needed] for actual action to be taken against those who have not complied.”