appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

hooksArticlePageFloatingButtonConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Christy Leung

While Hong Kong residents went about their daily business, a team of firefighters last month were toiling to contain a stubborn and unusual blaze at a container port, which could have had deadly consequences.
The operation took 11 days and drained valiant rescue personnel to the point that some were too tired to even walk, according to senior firefighter Lam Ho-man. What made the work harrowing was charcoal-filled containers that had caught fire, with a risk of explosion if the combustible fine powder was disturbed by water jets.

“I can tell you that everyone was worn out. When I tried to pass bottles of water to my colleagues, they asked me to just throw the bottles to them as they couldn’t even walk over,” Lam recalled.
It all began on February 20 when a Liberia-registered cargo vessel from Vietnam carrying 18 containers arrived at the River Trade Terminal in Tuen Mun for inspection. Three containers among the batch had caught fire while the vessel was at sea, but this was put out by crew members.
In total, the 18 containers were carrying 11,000 bags of fine charcoal powder.
When I tried to pass bottles of water to my colleagues, they asked me to just throw the bottles to them as they couldn’t even walk over
Lam Ho-man, firefighter
Soon after the cargo was offloaded, five containers caught fire. Senior station officer Chau Ho-ming was among the first responders to the scene. Deploying a fire boat and water jet, Chau and his crew battled the flames.
But as the blaze died down, the men realised the contents of the containers were still smouldering as water had not fully entered the unit.
Four stranded on yacht saved by marine police in heroic sea rescue
Chau then asked for a crane to suspend the five containers and let their charcoal load spill out. It was the most hair-raising part of the operation as the area had to be contained. Flash explosions from flammable powder were expected and there were fears these could get out of control.




“Each time jets from our water cannon hit the suspended containers and their contents, they would disperse fine charcoal powder that was smouldering inside, sparking a dust explosion,” Chau said.
He recalled fireballs that had ignited from the hung containers while the crew fought to contain the flashes.

“We handled each bag of powder very cautiously and it took a long time.”
When this was settled, Chau’s team then used a thermal inspection camera to confirm the remaining 13 containers were at a stable temperature, before closing the operation. By then it had been almost 48 hours.
But three days later on February 25, dense smoke billowed from another three units, and fire crews extinguished the blaze the next day, but decided they could take no more chances and had to check all other containers.
Meet the man who has protected Hong Kong from more than 300 explosives
Boring holes into the top of the units, firefighters poured water in and then took out the charcoal bags one at a time.
“Each bag weighs 15kg. It weighs several times more waterlogged,” Lam said.
The previous explosions from Chau’s operation had put the second crew, which worked in 24-hour rotations, on edge.

Firefighters only completed their clearance of the containers on March 6. That day, Lam recalled arriving on site at 3am and getting down to the dirty work with team members.
As dawn neared and the sun’s glow shimmered over port waters, Lam said he asked a senior colleague if the container they were on was the last one.
The heroes of Hato: how Hong Kong’s firefighters braved floods to rescue villagers
“He said yes, and I felt a sense of hope.”
While the efforts of firefighters in this case did not receive wide media coverage since it was confined to the port, and there were no injuries, the danger it posed echoed an earlier incident that involved students.

Last November, 12 university students suffered burns when they threw flour on each other during a birthday party in a campus hall of residence.
Fire services assistant divisional officer Chu Wai-man warned the public of possible hazards at home, as even coffee powder could become flammable in a sealed environment and under the right conditions.
“Fine flammable powder, air and a spark in a sealed space – if these factors occur together, you might get a flash explosion,” Chu said. “The heat generated could be as high as 400 degree Celsius.”


Hong Kong 999 callers can send real-time audio, video data from 2028: Chris Tang

Rescue operation launched after boat begins to sink at Hung Hom

Cantopop diva Anita Mui’s mother dies at 102 after collapsing in flat

Man hospitalised after bamboo scaffolding collapses in Sham Shui Po

Hong Kong rescue services

How Hong Kong firefighters battled fireballs sparked by charcoal-filled containers in port

The Liberia-registered cargo vessel with 18 containers on broad were offloaded in River Trade Terminal in Tuen Mun for inspection on 20 February, as three of the containers previously bursted in to flame outside Hong Kong waters five days ago (15Feb)when sailing from Vietnam. Photo: Courtesy of the Hong Kong Fire Services Department

Chu Wai-man (centre), assistant divisional officer holding a thermal imaging camera with (from left) firefighter Cheuk Kin-sing; senior firefighter Yip Wai-keung; senior station officer Chau Ho-ming; senior firefighter Lam Ho-man; senior firefighter Chan Chun-kit; and firefighter Chan Tak-sum. Photo: K.Y. Cheng

News

Hong Kong

Law and Crime

Unusual situation sparked by cargo offloaded at Tuen Mun terminal, involving 11,000 bags of fine charcoal powder
Containers caught fire at different times, requiring crews to empty all units


Unusual situation sparked by cargo offloaded at Tuen Mun terminal, involving 11,000 bags of fine charcoal powder. Containers caught fire at different times, requiring crews to empty all units.


Accidents and personal safety in Hong Kong

How Hong Kong firefighters battled fireballs sparked by charcoal-filled containers in port

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Unusual situation sparked by cargo offloaded at Tuen Mun terminal, involving 11,000 bags of fine charcoal powder Containers caught fire at different times, requiring crews to empty all units

Unusual situation sparked by cargo offloaded at Tuen Mun terminal, involving 11,000 bags of fine charcoal powder

Containers caught fire at different times, requiring crews to empty all units