HONG KONG, Two Weeks After the Fire — Weeks after a destructive five-alarm fire ravaged the Hip Fook Court residential building in Tai Po, lingering public speculation over the Fire Services Department’s (FSD) handling of the emergency has prompted a former senior official to clarify critical aspects of urban firefighting tactics, specifically the controversial decision not to use high-pressure ladder trucks directly on the affected units.
Leung Wai-lok, a former Assistant Director of Fire Services (New Territories South) who retired after nearly 33 years on the job, including commanding roles during major incidents like the 1996 Garley Building inferno, stated that many public criticisms reflect fundamental misunderstandings of firefighting protocol. He emphasized that rash deployment of steel ladder trucks (known locally as gang ti che) against a burning apartment risks severe injury or death to anyone trapped inside, leading to a deliberate, nuanced approach to external water application.
Understanding the Dangers of High-Pressure Water
The primary concern regarding the direct use of high-volume ladder trucks on an active blaze is the immense force of the water jet. Mr. Leung explained that these appliances can dispense up to 2,000 liters of water per minute, generating a force strong enough to immediately injure or knock down an adult.
“If you deploy a steel ladder truck directly onto a burning unit without confirming if people are inside, the high-pressure column of water could gravely harm a person awaiting rescue,” Leung told reporters.
Beyond the physical force, the interaction of the powerful water stream with the high temperatures of the fire creates two specific, life-threatening dangers for victims. First, the resulting superheated steam or intense thermal energy can cause severe burns, potentially “cooking” the person inside. Second, the thick steam drastically reduces visibility within the apartment, severely impeding the efforts of fire crews attempting internal search and rescue.
This strategic caution dictates that external streams from steel ladder trucks are primarily deployed to the walls of adjacent, unaffected units to prevent the rapid spread of the fire, not directly blasted into the source of the blaze while rescue operations are underway. Leung recalled controlling the 2010 Lai Cheong Factory Building fire, noting that direct high-pressure water was only brought to bear after confirming the full withdrawal of all internal personnel, aiming only to cool the internal structure.
Limits on International Assistance
Another widely debated point following the incident was the absence of mainland China’s ultra-tall aerial ladder trucks, which some observers hoped could have provided superior reach.
Mr. Leung addressed this, citing the critical logistical barrier of Hong Kong’s infrastructure. These specialized mainland vehicles can weigh up to 60 tons and require emergency access lanes as wide as 10 meters to navigate. Hong Kong’s equivalent emergency access routes typically measure around 6 meters wide, rendering the deployment of such massive vehicles technically impossible.
Furthermore, construction scaffolding commonly surrounding the building complicated the response. During the intense fire, falling debris and bamboo poles created hazardous conditions for firefighters and restricted the vital positioning necessary for external water application.
Internal Attack Remains the Core Strategy
The former assistant director stressed that the core strategy for high-rise fires remains an internal attack, requiring firefighters to advance systematically from the bottom floor upward.
Given the speed with which the fire spread across multiple levels and the extreme internal temperatures—which can exceed 500 degrees Celsius—fire crews must work methodically. “Even with professional gear, they are flesh and blood,” Leung stated. “They must consolidate control over one floor before advancing to the next.”
Regarding the possibility of accepting aid from mainland rescue teams, Leung expressed reservations about interoperability. The differences in specialized equipment, building fire systems, and, most crucially, the distinct rescue and evacuation procedures used in Hong Kong versus mainland China pose significant risks.
“If they were to enter the fireground under unfamiliar or inconsistent procedures, it would undoubtedly put the rescuers in a more dangerous situation,” Leung concluded, underscoring that collaboration during emergencies must prioritize the safety of responders through procedural consistency and familiarity. The discussion provides essential context on the complex, life-saving calculus that governs high-rise fire operations in densely populated urban environments.
(Reporting by Cheng Wah-kwun; Photography by So Ching-him)
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