LOCAL

Aberdeen South Typhoon Shelter set ablaze

Cheyelene Fontanilla investigates the fire that sank 20 boats and damaged 10 more

In late June, the residents of Aberdeen and Ap Lei Chau awoke to find a fire broke out at the Typhoon Shelter. Starting at two in the morning, the fire ignited on a yacht and quickly spread from boat to boat. The blaze, only 200 metres offshore of Ap Lei Chau Praya Road, tore through the typhoon shelter, expelling thick shrouds of black smoke which could be seen by residents in nearby apartment blocks.

The flames engulfed and sank 20 boats while damaging a dozen more. Four teams of firemen were dispatched to combat the roaring flames, which were under control by 8am that morning. Thankfully no one was seriously harmed and all 45 people who were residing at the shelter during the time of the fire were evacuated and taken to a marine police base nearby.

Politicians have used this unfortunate incident to restate previously made calls to repair and restore typhoon shelters and marinas, as there have apparently been longstanding structural issues. They believe the narrow paths separating each boat was the main reason for the fire to spread as quickly as it did.

While the politicians appealed to authorities for their quick response, they believe something needs to be done to avoid this happening in the future.

“We have discussed the typhoon shelter fire in the District Council. Some key issues have come to the fore,” says Paul Zimmerman, Southern District Councillor of Pok Fu Lam.

“First, the fire services team was short of equipment in Aberdeen and time was lost getting equipment from Stonecutters. Priority must be given to acquiring a small boat with powerful water jets to fight fires in tight locations in the Aberdeen Typhoon Shelter,” he elaborates.

“Secondly, the boats are packed tightly as moorings are set out with little space for fire breaks between them. We need to make haste with the expansion of the typhoon shelter announced in the 2020 Policy Address, and spread out moorings soonest.”