Blast exposes doubts over garage regulations

Residents near a ground floor Wong Tai Sin garage damaged by a mysterious blast on Sunday want nearby mechanics to leave the neighborhood.

Three people died in the explosion, while one remains in intensive care.

Authorities are still trying to find out what caused the Sunday afternoon blast at the four-story residential. It destroyed the garage, shattered nearby windows and also injured nine people.

The Buildings Department on Monday afternoon ordered the 43-year-old building closed for emergency repair work because the blast ripped off the building’s only staircase access to higher floors.

Nearby residents likened the cluster of garages to ticking time bombs. Many feel the workshops should be removed from residential areas — a difficult prospect given the city’s density and prevalence of such buildings.

Wong Tai Sin District Council Vice-Chairman Matthew Wong Kam-chiu said about 40 garages were in the district.

Officers from the Home Affairs Department were on site Monday to support victims and family members. The street remained silent except for the sound of investigators examining the blast’s debris.

A joint investigation by the Electrical and Mechanical Ser- vices Department and Fire Services is proceeding. Police are investigating whether the explosion was an accident or a criminal act.

Initial reports pointed to the taxi’s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tank as the likely cause of the explosion. The garage was not among the 28 licensed mechanics approved to repair LPG tanks, according to government rosters.

All of the city’s taxis are powered with LPG since 1999 in an effort to improve roadside air quality.

Regular maintenance such as oil changes can be conducted at most garages. However, modifications to LPG tanks must be done at approved garages.

Approved

garages

are required to be outfitted with specialized ventilation systems as well as gas monitors to alert staff of leaks. These are also subject to regular inspections. Mechanics are required to have three years’ work experience and pass a three-month training course.

A member of the government’s study group on LPG vehicle testing scheme and automotive engineer lecturer of Vocational Training Council, Fung Man-keung, said garages were prohibited from storing explosive or flammable materials. He said these must be kept in separate premises.

Tanks of acetylene gas used in wielding are kept on site, but usually in small amounts, he added.