Housing Department takes emergency action in handling fire incident in Sui Lok House, Siu Sai Wan Estate
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The Housing Department (HD) said that there was a fire incident in the main power supply room located on the ground floor of Sui Lok House in Siu Sai Wan Estate in early morning today (June 4). The fire was quickly brought under control and no one was injured. However, the electricity supply for the whole building was interrupted. Preliminary investigation revealed that the housing unit above the main power supply room is undergoing renovation works and there is leakage from the water pipe. The water seepage caused an electrical short circuit and fire in the main power supply room. The power supply facilities of Sui Lok House were therefore seriously damaged and the power supply to the entire building was interrupted.
Staff members of the HD arrived at the scene immediately and liaised with relevant government departments to take emergency action to help the residents, especially those with care need or with mobility difficulties. The HD has promptly contacted the maintenance contractors and the Hongkong Electric Company Limited to replace the damaged electrical switches urgently. Besides, as a temporary arrangement, cables from neighboring buildings have been connected to Sui Lok House, with a view to restoring part of the power supply to some public facilities tonight, and restoring the power supply to the residential units by phases.
There were about 590 residents living in Sui Lok House. The HD has already arranged staff to visit households with special needs, set up an enquiry counter on the ground floor, distributed bottled water, arranged water trucks with the Water Supplies Department to provide clean drinking water, as well as collaborated with the Eastern District Office (EDO) and the Care Teams to distribute lunch and dinner boxes, and installed temporary lighting, etc. The EDO has also opened a temporary shelter at the Siu Sai Wan Community Hall (G/F, Siu Sai Wan Complex, 15 Siu Sai Wan Road, Siu Sai Wan, Hong Kong) for residents in need.
The HD will continue to closely monitor the progress of the incident and provide further assistance to the affected residents in a timely manner.