A dozen vendor stalls in Iao Hon district were gutted by fire on Sunday night, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM) has announced.
The Municipal Affairs Bureau licenses, manages and oversees the operation of vendor stalls.
The vendor-stall area in Iao Hon is one of several such areas overseen by the bureau.
The Fire Services Bureau (CB) said on Sunday night that the fire erupted shortly before 8:30 p.m., after which firefighters extinguished it at around 9 p.m.
No one was injured in the fire. About 30 residents living nearby self-evacuated during the fire.
The Fire Services Bureau said that the blaze was possibly caused by an electrical short circuit in one of the stalls.
An IAM statement on Sunday night said that the fire affected 24 vendor stalls in total, 12 of which were gutted. The stalls are permanent, side-by-side structures.
The statement also said that seven of the affected 24 stalls were vacant, i.e., non-operational at the time of the fire.
In a follow-up statement yesterday, the Municipal Affairs Bureau said that of the 12 stalls completely gutted by the fire included one that was vacant.
Yesterday’s IAM statement said that the bureau will arrange for the vendors of the 11 stalls to operate in other vacant stalls in the area.
The statement said that the Municipal Affairs Bureau will soon repair the gutted stalls.
Yesterday’s statement also said that the bureau will soon implement a new fire prevention measure for the Iao Hon vendor-stall area, according to which the bureau will switch off the area’s main power supply every night after its operating hours, with the aim of preventing fire caused by a short circuit in any of the stalls.
The statement also said that the measure will also be implemented for other vendor-stall areas later.
Sunday’s blaze came after a number of vendor stalls built in a row located opposite the former greyhound racetrack in Fai Chi Kei were gutted by a fire in January 2023.
Firefighters battle a blaze at the area of vendor stalls in Iao Hon on Sunday night. – Photos courtesy of TDM
