Fire Services Inspect Buildings for Safety Violations, Issuing 32 Notices and One Prosecution Amid Public Concern

FSD conducts fire safety inspection and enforcement operation in Yau Tsim Mong District

In light of the widespread public concern over building fire safety, the Fire Services Department (FSD) yesterday (January 12) carried out fire safety inspections and enforcement operations at Chuang's London Plaza and Dundas Square in Yau Tsim Mong District to eliminate potential fire hazards and ensure public safety.

The Fire Services Department (FSD), Photo source: reference image

During the operations, the FSD deployed dedicated inspection teams to target on the fire safety conditions of the common areas and licensed premises within the buildings. The fire personnel identified multiple violations of the Fire Services (Fire Hazard Abatement) Regulation (Cap. 95F) in the common areas of various floors and in seven licensed food premises, including obstruction of means of escape, fire service installation or equipment (FSIs) not being kept in efficient working order due to defects, as well as defects in smoke stop doors. The FSD instituted one prosecution for obstruction of means of escape and issued 32 Fire Hazard Abatement Notices regarding the irregularities.

Since the fire safety violations by the licensed food premises were suspected of breaching the licensing conditions, the FSD has referred the cases to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) for follow-up action. The FSD will continue to liaise closely with the FEHD to determine whether further enforcement actions should be taken against the licensed food premises concerned.

Furthermore, as the building management companies of the buildings failed to comply with the Code of Conduct on Handling Fire Safety Work issued under the Property Management Services Ordinance (Cap. 626) and relevant best practice guidelines, including proper maintenance of smoke stop doors to keep them in good condition, the FSD has reminded the management companies concerned and referred the cases to the Property Management Services Authority for follow-up action.

During the operation, the fire personnel also carried out fire prevention publicity and education to property owners, tenants and building management staff on common fire hazards and preventive measures to raise their fire safety awareness and mitigate fire risk from the source.

The FSD emphasises that commercial buildings have a high density of people and thus a relatively high fire risk. Property owners, tenants and property management agents must jointly bear the responsibility for fire safety, ensuring the means of escape are unobstructed, smoke stop doors remain closed at all times, FSIs are properly maintained, and annual inspections of the FSIs are carried out as required by law.

The department will continue to work with all parties to promote a fire safety culture and jointly build a safer and more resilient community through a multipronged approach, including enforcement, publicity and interdepartmental collaboration.

Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

Hong Kong Customs cracks $4.7 billion money laundering case and dismantles dangerous drug packing and distribution centre

Hong Kong Customs mounted an operation codenamed "Axis" yesterday (March 11) and arrested a local man who is suspected of dealing with a total of about $4.7 billion of funds with unknown sources via his bank accounts of two companies between April 2022 and February 2026. During the follow-up investigation, another local man who was suspected of operating a dangerous drugs packing and distribution centre was arrested in a commercial premises.

Customs officers targeted a money laundering syndicate and initiated financial investigation against a 66-year-old local man. It was revealed that his financial background was highly incommensurate with the enormous transactions conducted in his company bank accounts. It is suspected that he had dealt with suspicious funds through local companies accounts and engaged in money laundering activity.

After an in-depth investigation,Customs officers raided a residential address yesterday and seized mobile phones and bank documents therein. During the premises search against the business address of one of the subject companies, Customs officers seized a bankbook counter, cash, bank cards, suspected dangerous drugs, including cannabis buds, cannabis oil products, cocaine, methamphetamine, ketamine, MDMA tablets and a batch of suspected drug packaging paraphernalia and inhalation apparatuses, about 9 000 duty-not-paid cigarettes and suspected nicotine oil. The estimated market value of the drug seizures was about $300,000. A 36-year-old local man was arrested.

Customs will conduct follow up investigation under the Organized and Serious Crimes Ordinance (OSCO), Dangerous Drugs Ordinance, Dutiable Commodities Ordinance and Pharmacy and Poisons Ordinance, the likelihood of further arrests is not ruled out.

Under the OSCO, a person commits an offence if he or she deals with any property knowing or having reasonable grounds to believe that such property, in whole or in part, directly or indirectly represents any person's proceeds of an indictable offence. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $5 million and imprisonment for 14 years while the crime proceeds are also subject to confiscation.

Members of the public may report any suspected money laundering activities to Customs' 24-hour hotline 182 8080 or its dedicated crime-reporting email account (crimereport@customs.gov.hk) or online form (eform.cefs.gov.hk/form/ced002).

Source: AI-found images