Hong Kong

Hong Kong Fire Service

HongKong

population 6.7 million, area 1,100 square kilometers, but only 179 square kilometers are open for residential and commercial developments; average population density 6,330 per square kilometer.

Emergency Services
EMS: 2,200 uniformed personnel with 240 ambulances and 35 motor bikes responding to 541,000 calls in 2001 (arrival in less than 12 minutes in 92.5%)

1994 Fire: Hong Kong Bank Shek Kip Mai Branch: 12 fatalities

1996 May Riots: Whitehead detention camp: Hundreds of Vietnamese boat people facing forced repatriation staged a riot. Several buildings were torched. During the chaos about 200 people including women and children escaped. Less than half were captured by nightfall. At this time close to 18,000 former boat people live in Hong Kong's camps, many in prison-like conditions for more than six years.

Fifteen guards were taken hostage early in the melee. They were released four hours later, unharmed but for one man who had been stabbed in the leg. Fifty people from both sides were reportedly injured before police were able to regain control.

1996 November 20th. Fire: Garley Building, Nathan Road:

Maintenance and repair work was in progress in the 16-story commercial building when highly flammable material caught fire during welding work in an elevator shaft in the basement. The flames made their way up through the elevator shafts of the 21-year old building and spread like lightning through the top three floors of the building. The immense heat and smoke made these floors a death trap for the people working there: the windows could not be opened, and escape routes were filled with smoke or impassable. Twenty-two charred bodies were subsequently found in a single office on the 15th floor.

The fire department was able to save many of the occupants; however, it took more than 20 hours to extinguish the blaze.

Contributing factors to the rapid spread and the consequent losses:

In the end 40 people, including 1 firefighter died, and 80 were seriously injured.

1997 April 8th. Fire: Kowloon, Mei Foo Sun Chuen: 9 fatalities, 37 injured

1997 Fire: Top One Karaoke Fire: 26 fatalities

1997 Epidemic Disease: deadly Influenza virus H1N5 "Birds Flu;" 6 people died, more than 1.3 million chicken and other birds were destroyed by health authorities

1998 January 6th. Fire: North Point: 2 fatalities, 57 injured

2000 August Fire: Immigration Tower: fire inside a unit on the 13th floor of the building; 47 people were injured

2003 July 10th. Bus Accident Tuen Mun Highway, near Tin Kau bridge: at 6.30 am local time a KMB double decker bus carrying morning commuters and schoolchildren crashed through railings and hurtled down on to rocks 50 feet below; at least 22 people died and more than 20 were injured

Bus Accident Tuen Mun Highway, near Tin Kau bridge