FSD checks 700 old buildings for fire hazards

The Fire Services Department on Thursday said it conducted around 6,900 checks at about 700 old residential and commercial buildings as of the end of last month. It said inspections were stepped up after a fatal fire in a Jordan residential block in April. Deputy Chief Fire Officer Michael Yung said the common hazards identified during the inspections included defective smoke-stop doors and obstructed escape routes. He said the department will take legal action against those who ignore warning notices and fail to carry out improvement works. "For these inspections, we have issued about [5,000] fire hazard abatement notices, and we will likely take legal action against 264 offences," he said. Yung added the department aims to inspect 1,000 high-risk old buildings by the end of the year. He also noted that the department prosecuted over 1,000 cases for non-compliance to fire safety directions in the first half of the year, a threefold increase compared to the previous year.