New Lucky House remains sealed a day after fire
The fire-stricken New Lucky House remained sealed on Thursday - a day after a deadly blaze erupted there - with people living in the building gathering outside it waiting to return to their flats. Five people died in the fire. Eight people - including a baby girl - were critically injured and another person seriously. They were being treated in five hospitals across the city. Meanwhile, scores of people lined up on Jordan Road where the building is located, waiting to return to their flats or hotel rooms. Police officers took down their details before letting them into the building temporarily to get their belongings. Erlando Alto, a visitor from England, said he had to change his flight home because of the fire. "We were supposed to fly out [on Thursday]. I've had to extend my flight to [Friday] because I want to get my stuff - all my luggage - because I only left the hotel with my shoes, my wallet and my phone," he said. Meanwhile, a resident accused guest house operators of blocking renovation works from taking place in the 60-year-old building. "All of us small flat owners really want to renovate the building inside and out, not just upgrading the fire service equipment. But we don't know when that can be done because some people don't want to pay up," she told RTHK. "The guest house operators are the rich and powerful flat owners here. The chair and vice-chair [of the owners' corporation] and those in charge of money are their people. What can I do when they say no?" The Buildings Department said it issued a directive to the owners' corporation in 2008, calling on it to upgrade some fire safety provisions to meet current standards. But it said the directive had not been complied with.