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To meet fire resistance specifications for smoke doors, the Housing Department will gradually replace 5,600 non-standard smoke doors and partitions in 15 public housing estates.
Responding to a question in the Legislative Council today, Secretary for Housing, Planning & Lands Michael Suen said the Government always seeks to enhance fire safety in its estates.
The department spent $400 million in replacing the entrance doors for 150,000 housing flats last year.
Mr Suen said there are about 32,000 smoke doors in estates completed before 1996. Of these, 26,400 comply with the 30-minute fire-resistance requirement.
The remaining 5,600 smoke doors in 15 estates are non-standard.
To evaluate the fire escape safety of the block types used in the 15 estates, the department commissioned a study in 1998.
It found that with good ventilation, smoke could dissipate rapidly in fires, giving adequate means of escape and a safe condition equivalent to that envisaged by statutory requirements.
Taking into account building design, fire services installations and effective fire prevention management, the overall fire safety level of these blocks is comparable to that of private buildings of the same age, Mr Suen said.
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