'Avoid Stockpiling Construction Material At Sites'

The Institution of Engineers on Friday said construction site operators should minimise the amount of building materials they store at the scene to reduce fire risks.

The advice came after a blaze raged for more than nine hours overnight at a 48-storey high building that is under construction in Tsim Sha Tsui.

Firefighters said they are investigating the cause of the fire, noting that it was difficult to put it out because only temporary fire safety installations were available at the site.

They added that construction materials inside the building also made it hard for firefighters to advance.

A spokesman for the institution's fire division, Anthony Lam, said it is hard to install sprinklers and temporary tanks on every floor of a high-rise building that is still under construction.

Lam, who’s also a former fire services director, told RTHK that those in charge of a building site should conduct a comprehensive risk assessment before the work begins, and prevent stockpiling construction materials at the scene.

"The materials may be combustible or easily ignitable... The point is, whether [workers] really need the materials within a short time, say one or two days," Lam said, adding that fire retardant material should be applied on bamboo scaffolding to reduce its flammability.