To the Access to Information Officer, Fire Services Department
To the Access to Information Officer, Fire Services Department:
Pursuant to the Code on Access to Information, I would be grateful for the disclosure of the following on fire-safety monitoring arrangements for buildings during major maintenance works.
Context:
On 21 May 2026, a fatal fire occurred at Man Yuen Lau, Ferry Street, Jordan, resulting in 1 death and 4 injuries, with approximately 200 residents evacuated. The fire originated on the 13th floor, in a unit suspected to be a "one-into-nine" subdivided flat. At the time, the building was undergoing major maintenance works, with scaffolding and netting installed on the external walls; the works had been ongoing for nearly 2 years. Residents reported delayed fire-alarm activation, with some not hearing the alarm at all. In the same month, a charger-related fire occurred at Bayview Garden, Tsuen Wan (19 May 2026, 3 hospitalised), and an electrical short-circuit fire occurred at a temple in Wan Chai (20 May 2026). These events bear on construction-period fire safety, alarm system reliability, and subdivided-flat fire arrangements, but the related monitoring and statistical arrangements have not been systematically disclosed.
The information sought:
1. Fire-safety mechanism during major maintenance works:
(a) FSD's fire-impact assessment and guidelines for scaffolding/netting covering external walls during major maintenance;
(b) Fire-alarm system testing frequency, certification requirements, and inspection records during major maintenance;
(c) The FSD's current guidelines on fire arrangements during major maintenance works, and the date and key content of the most recent revision.
2. Fire-event cluster statistics and subdivided-flat fire safety:
(a) From January 2021 to the present quarter, statistics of fire incidents categorised by cause (chargers, electrical short-circuit, scaffolding/netting, subdivided flats, etc.);
(b) Fire-incident statistics involving subdivided flats (including high-density "one-into-nine" partitioned units), fire-equipment configuration standards, and the cross-departmental inspection / referral mechanism with the Buildings Department / Home Affairs Department;
(c) Trend analysis, common-factor identification, and any early-warning mechanism for May 2026 fire incidents (including Man Yuen Lau, Bayview Garden, and the Wan Chai temple).
3. Fire-fleet and manpower resource adequacy:
(a) From January 2021 to the present quarter, the fire-fleet size, number of vehicles by category, and manpower changes;
(b) Over the same period, total fire-incident numbers and growth trend, broken down by fire station / district;
(c) Average response-time attainment rate, and the principal reasons for non-attainment cases;
(d) Any FSD resource-gap assessment or manpower-needs estimate (if any) undertaken in response to recent changes in fire-incident volume.
Where any item involves criminal investigation, commercial sensitivities, or third-party privacy, partial redaction or anonymised aggregation would be acceptable.
Yours sincerely,
peter ng
Dear Mr NG,
Thank you for the email on the captioned dated 23.5.2026.
This serves as an interim reply that your request has received our
attention, and we shall get back to you as soon as possible.
Thank you.
Best regards,
Access to Information Officer
Fire Services Department
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From: [ATI #1584 email]
<[ATI #1584 email]>
Sent: Saturday, May 23, 2026 12:48 AM
To: DO NL CS/FSD <[Fire Services Department request email]>
Subject: Access to Information request - To the Access to Information
Officer, Fire Services Department
To the Access to Information Officer, Fire Services Department:
Pursuant to the Code on Access to Information, I would be grateful for the
disclosure of the following on fire-safety monitoring arrangements for
buildings during major maintenance works.
Context:
On 21 May 2026, a fatal fire occurred at Man Yuen Lau, Ferry Street,
Jordan, resulting in 1 death and 4 injuries, with approximately 200
residents evacuated. The fire originated on the 13th floor, in a unit
suspected to be a "one-into-nine" subdivided flat. At the time, the
building was undergoing major maintenance works, with scaffolding and
netting installed on the external walls; the works had been ongoing for
nearly 2 years. Residents reported delayed fire-alarm activation, with
some not hearing the alarm at all. In the same month, a charger-related
fire occurred at Bayview Garden, Tsuen Wan (19 May 2026, 3 hospitalised),
and an electrical short-circuit fire occurred at a temple in Wan Chai (20
May 2026). These events bear on construction-period fire safety, alarm
system reliability, and subdivided-flat fire arrangements, but the related
monitoring and statistical arrangements have not been systematically
disclosed.
The information sought:
1. Fire-safety mechanism during major maintenance works:
(a) FSD's fire-impact assessment and guidelines for scaffolding/netting
covering external walls during major maintenance;
(b) Fire-alarm system testing frequency, certification requirements, and
inspection records during major maintenance;
(c) The FSD's current guidelines on fire arrangements during major
maintenance works, and the date and key content of the most recent
revision.
2. Fire-event cluster statistics and subdivided-flat fire safety:
(a) From January 2021 to the present quarter, statistics of fire incidents
categorised by cause (chargers, electrical short-circuit,
scaffolding/netting, subdivided flats, etc.);
(b) Fire-incident statistics involving subdivided flats (including
high-density "one-into-nine" partitioned units), fire-equipment
configuration standards, and the cross-departmental inspection / referral
mechanism with the Buildings Department / Home Affairs Department;
(c) Trend analysis, common-factor identification, and any early-warning
mechanism for May 2026 fire incidents (including Man Yuen Lau, Bayview
Garden, and the Wan Chai temple).
3. Fire-fleet and manpower resource adequacy:
(a) From January 2021 to the present quarter, the fire-fleet size, number
of vehicles by category, and manpower changes;
(b) Over the same period, total fire-incident numbers and growth trend,
broken down by fire station / district;
(c) Average response-time attainment rate, and the principal reasons for
non-attainment cases;
(d) Any FSD resource-gap assessment or manpower-needs estimate (if any)
undertaken in response to recent changes in fire-incident volume.
Where any item involves criminal investigation, commercial sensitivities,
or third-party privacy, partial redaction or anonymised aggregation would
be acceptable.
Yours sincerely,
peter ng
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