HONG KONG — 1996 · Major Tragedy
The Garley Building Fire — Welding in the Lift Shaft
On the afternoon of 20 November 1996, a fire broke out in the 16-storey commercial Garley Building on Nathan Road in Hong Kong's Jordan district during welding work in a lift shaft. The shaft acted like a chimney, spreading flames and smoke rapidly to the upper floors. By the time the fire, which reached the highest five-alarm level, was put out, 41 people had died and 81 were injured. Most of the victims were trapped in offices on the upper floors. One of the deadliest building fires in post-war Hong Kong, it led to an overhaul of fire safety in older commercial buildings; regulations passed in 1998 required sprinkler systems in such buildings. The building was demolished in 2003.
- Date
- 1996
- Place
- Jordan, 232-240 Nathan Road, Hong Kong, HK
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- 22.3050, 114.1710 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 20 November 1996Fire broke out during welding work in the lift shaft.
- 20-21 November 1996The fire reached five-alarm level; 41 people died.
- 1997The causes of the fire and the building's shortcomings were examined.
- June 1998Sprinkler systems became mandatory in older commercial buildings.
- 2003The Garley Building was demolished.
Sources
- SCMP — Tenants sought for mall on Garley Building site scmp.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Garley Building fire en.wikipedia.org ↗
- South China Morning Post
- Wikipedia (EN)
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.