Stark reminders from deadly blaze

For weeks, Subitra Thapa found it almost impossible to fall asleep in hospital after injuring her back while trying to flee a fire at an unlicensed Nepalese restaurant - Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in nearly a decade.

"I used to wake up in the middle of the night with nightmares and couldn't sleep," she told China Daily.

Although she is still receiving physiotherapy, her condition hasn't improved significantly. She remains bedridden at home, unable to walk for seven months since the fire engulfed the Jire Khorsani Restaurant in a 70-year-old building on Canton Road, Jordan, Yau Tsim Mong district, in mid-November, killing eight people and injuring nine others.

Another victim, Nila Rai, is also recovering from 12 percent burns to her body and mental distress, following the tragedy.

"At times when she was fighting the pain, she said she would rather jump off the building and die than to continue suffering," said Rai's husband, Dhan Kumar Rai.

As a result of the trauma, Nila refuses to stay in a quiet or dark place and must have the television on to help calm her down, he said.

Although Thapa and Rai live in buildings that have fire safety measures in place, many Nepalese, especially those in Yau Tsim Mong, and other ethnic minority groups reside in cramped subdivided flats that pose huge fire risks.

Accidents and fire safety concerns remain despite measures to reduce fire risks being taken by the Hong Kong government. To identify potential risks, the Fire Services Department's fire safety program, launched in 2017, has been conducting regular building inspections to plan firefighting and rescue operations.

To avoid life-threatening situations in case of a fire, the Buildings Department has adopted various safety provisions. Officers from both departments are working with owners of buildings with a high risk of fire outbreaks to solve potential problems.

The FSD has launched a fire safety scheme to raise public awareness of fire safety among property management staff, owners and occupants of buildings.

To help owners of private buildings maintain and repair their buildings, the government has implemented various financial assistance programs for those in need, such as the Building Safety Loan Scheme and the Building Maintenance Grant Scheme for Needy Owners.