Contractor Burned in Electrical Fire at Hong Kong Cultural Centre Backstage
Thestandard · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A brief No. 2 alarm fire erupted at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre in Tsim Sha Tsui on Monday morning, leaving a contractor with serious burns after an electrical fault during stage equipment dismantling work . The 29-year-old woman, surnamed Chow, was working in the backstage area of the Grand Theatre at 10 Salisbury Road when an operational error caused an electric shock and subsequent fire . Emergency services responded quickly, and the fire was extinguished before major damage occurred, though the woman suffered third-degree burns to her face and hands .
Key Points
- The fire broke out at approximately 11:23am on Monday at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre main auditorium backstage
- The injured woman, Chow, sustained third-degree burns to her face and hands from an electric shock while dismantling a power distribution box
- Paramedics applied cooling dressings and transported her to Queen Elizabeth Hospital; she is in the intensive care unit in stable condition
- The Fire Services Department received the alarm at 11:23am and arrived three minutes later; the fire had already been extinguished
- An EMSD engineer determined the fire was caused by a short circuit in a high-voltage switch; the injured woman is not a registered electrical worker
- The Labour Department has preliminarily classified the incident as an industrial accident, and the EMSD issued an improvement notice to the installation owner
- Cultural centre operations remained unaffected by the incident
Why It Matters
The incident has raised concerns about electrical safety protocols at public venues, as the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is investigating whether the Electricity Ordinance was violated since the injured worker was not a registered electrical worker . The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, EMSD, and Labour Department are all conducting parallel investigations into the circumstances that led to the accident, which may prompt reviews of safety requirements for contractors working at government cultural facilities .
The incident has raised concerns about electrical safety protocols at public venues, as the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is investigating whether the Electricity Ordinance was violated since the injured worker was not a registered electrical worker . The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, EMSD, and Labour Department are all conducting parallel investigations into the circumstances that led to the accident, which may prompt reviews of safety requirements for contractors working at government cultural facilities .