1996 Pat Sin Leng wildfire
Encyclopedia
The 1996 Pat Sin Leng wildfire was a wildfire
in Pat Sin Leng
, Tai Po
, New Territories
, Hong Kong
on 10 February, 1996 (Saturday). It was the worst wildfire
in local history
. The disaster killed three students and two teachers of Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School and injured another 13 students.
The Hong Kong Government built a "Spring Breeze Pavilion" on Pat Sin Leng to commemorate the two teachers who died saving the students in the tragedy
.
After the disaster, the area was no longer suitable for vegetation growth, therefore suffers from soil erosion.
Plover Cove
Country Park Visitor Centre to Hok Tau, Fanling
via Section 9 and 10 of Wilson Trail
on Pat Sin Leng.
It was an extremely dry day with a relative humidity
of 31%, the Hong Kong Observatory
had issued the Red Fire Danger Warning, warning of a very high risk of wildfires.
The fire was discovered at about 11:20, as the group was around 150 meters away from Sin Koo peak, The fire quickly spread upwards, out of control. As the downhill escape route was blocked by the fire, the group was forced to flee up hill. 32 students escaped and raised the alarm; but 18 people were trapped in Ma Lau Ai (Monkey Cliff). Teachers Chow Chi-Tsai and Wong Shuo Mei perished attempting to help students escape, while other injured students were left on the cliff in wait for rescue.
(CAS) were dispatched and the search and rescue operation commenced at 12:23. The Government Flying Service
(GFS) sent two helicopters to help fight the fire and rescue those severely injured. Rescuers provided first aid on the scene. Seriously injured victims were rushed to hospital by helicopters, while those with less severe injuries were carried away by the rescue crew. The first group of victims were sent to Tai Po Jockey Club Clinic. Ten seriously injured victims were transferred to the Prince of Wales Hospital
in Sha Tin
, which has a specialist burns unit. A female who suffered burns to 70% of her skin was rushed to the intensive care unit
for advance treatment.
The helicopter returned to rescue two casualties, who were thought to be those who fell down during previous rescue, but they were wrong. The next day, rescuers found the last missing person and found out he was one of the victim who fell in the initial rescue.
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
in Pat Sin Leng
Pat Sin Leng
Pat Sin Leng is a mountain range in the northeast New Territories of Hong Kong, located within the Pat Sin Leng Country Park. The name Pat Sin Leng literally means "Mountains of the Eight Immortals", who are famous xian in Chinese Mythology, and symbolizes the eight peaks along the Pat Sin Leng...
, Tai Po
Tai Po
Tai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
, New Territories
New Territories
New Territories is one of the three main regions of Hong Kong, alongside Hong Kong Island and the Kowloon Peninsula. It makes up 86.2% of Hong Kong's territory. Historically, it is the region described in The Convention for the Extension of Hong Kong Territory...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
on 10 February, 1996 (Saturday). It was the worst wildfire
Wildfire
A wildfire is any uncontrolled fire in combustible vegetation that occurs in the countryside or a wilderness area. Other names such as brush fire, bushfire, forest fire, desert fire, grass fire, hill fire, squirrel fire, vegetation fire, veldfire, and wilkjjofire may be used to describe the same...
in local history
History of Hong Kong
Hong Kong began as a coastal island geographically located off the southern coast of China. While pockets of settlements had taken place in the region with archaeological findings dating back thousands of years, regular written records were not made...
. The disaster killed three students and two teachers of Hong Kong Chinese Women's Club Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School and injured another 13 students.
The Hong Kong Government built a "Spring Breeze Pavilion" on Pat Sin Leng to commemorate the two teachers who died saving the students in the tragedy
Tragedy (event)
A tragedy is an event in which one or more losses, usually of human life, occurs that is viewed as mournful. Such an event is said to be tragic....
.
After the disaster, the area was no longer suitable for vegetation growth, therefore suffers from soil erosion.
Background events
On 10 February, 1996, 49 students of HKCWC Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School were led by five teachers in the "Golden Leg" Hiking activities which were held jointly by Geographic Society of the school and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Scheme (now Hong Kong Award for Young People). The plan was to hike from the Agriculture and Fisheries DepartmentAgriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department
The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department , formerly Agriculture and Fisheries Department before 2001, of the Hong Kong Government is responsible for agriculture and fisheries in Hong Kong, conservation projects and issues, and managing the country parks and special areas...
Plover Cove
Plover Cove
Plover Cove or Shuen Wan Hoi is a cove in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong, near Tolo Channel and Tolo Harbour.It is encircled by the hills Pat Sin Leng and Wan Leng , the Yim Tin Tsai, Ma Shi Chau and Tung Tau Chau island ranges, and a long peninsula extending from Fu Tau Sha...
Country Park Visitor Centre to Hok Tau, Fanling
Fanling
Fanling , also known as Fan Ling and Fan Leng, is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the North District...
via Section 9 and 10 of Wilson Trail
Wilson Trail
The Wilson Trail is a 78 km long-distance footpath in Hong Kong, only 15 km run through non-park countryside or other areas. It was named after David Wilson, Baron Wilson of Tillyorn, who was Governor of Hong Kong from 1987 to 1992. The Wilson Trail was developed by Friends of the...
on Pat Sin Leng.
It was an extremely dry day with a relative humidity
Relative humidity
Relative humidity is a term used to describe the amount of water vapor in a mixture of air and water vapor. It is defined as the partial pressure of water vapor in the air-water mixture, given as a percentage of the saturated vapor pressure under those conditions...
of 31%, the Hong Kong Observatory
Hong Kong Observatory
Hong Kong Observatory is a department of the Hong Kong government. The Observatory forecasts weather and issues warnings on weather-related hazards...
had issued the Red Fire Danger Warning, warning of a very high risk of wildfires.
The fire was discovered at about 11:20, as the group was around 150 meters away from Sin Koo peak, The fire quickly spread upwards, out of control. As the downhill escape route was blocked by the fire, the group was forced to flee up hill. 32 students escaped and raised the alarm; but 18 people were trapped in Ma Lau Ai (Monkey Cliff). Teachers Chow Chi-Tsai and Wong Shuo Mei perished attempting to help students escape, while other injured students were left on the cliff in wait for rescue.
Rescue operation
More than 200 staff and volunteers from the Hong Kong Fire Service department, Agriculture and Fisheries Department (AFD), and the Civil Aid ServiceCivil Aid Service
The Civil Aid Service or CAS in short is a civil organisation that assist in a variety of auxiliary emergency roles, including search and rescue operations in Hong Kong:...
(CAS) were dispatched and the search and rescue operation commenced at 12:23. The Government Flying Service
Government Flying Service (Hong Kong)
The Government Flying Service is a disciplined unit of the Government of Hong Kong. It was established on 1 April 1993, when Hong Kong was under British rule. It then took over all the non-military operations of the Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force , which was an auxiliary unit of the United...
(GFS) sent two helicopters to help fight the fire and rescue those severely injured. Rescuers provided first aid on the scene. Seriously injured victims were rushed to hospital by helicopters, while those with less severe injuries were carried away by the rescue crew. The first group of victims were sent to Tai Po Jockey Club Clinic. Ten seriously injured victims were transferred to the Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital
Prince of Wales Hospital is a major public and teaching hospital located in Sha Tin, New Territories in Hong Kong. The hospital is affiliated with the Medical Faculty of the Chinese University of Hong Kong....
in Sha Tin
Sha Tin
Sha Tin, also spelled Shatin, is an area around the Shing Mun River in the New Territories of Hong Kong. Administratively, it is part of the Sha Tin District.-Geography:...
, which has a specialist burns unit. A female who suffered burns to 70% of her skin was rushed to the intensive care unit
Intensive Care Unit
thumb|220px|ICU roomAn intensive-care unit , critical-care unit , intensive-therapy unit/intensive-treatment unit is a specialized department in a hospital that provides intensive-care medicine...
for advance treatment.
GFS rescue accident
A rare incident occurred with the Government Flying Service's helicopter in the rescue operation. Two casualties were spotted when crew members landed using the helicopter's winch sling. In accordance with the Code of Practice, they fastened their safety belt before pulling the victims onto the helicopter. However, due to his sight being blocked by the smoke, the pilot was unable to see the victims. The helicopter succeeded only in lifting the rescuer as it climbed, as the harness was not properly fastened around the casualties.The helicopter returned to rescue two casualties, who were thought to be those who fell down during previous rescue, but they were wrong. The next day, rescuers found the last missing person and found out he was one of the victim who fell in the initial rescue.
Casualties and damage
The wildfire burnt for over 40 hours. At 11:00 the following day, all fires were extinguished.- Casualties: 5 (Teacher Chow Chi-Tsai , Wong Shuo Mei and three students)
- Injured: 13
- Burnt area: 20 hectares
Post-disaster review
- The Coroner's Court hearings were held in May 1996. The coroner believed that the fire was caused by students smoking. The court also noted that the teacher-student ratio was 1 to 12, less than the 1 to 10 standard. The teachers also did not have appropriate telecommunication devices.
- Some criticised the procedure that ambulances had to carry patients to the nearest emergency departmentEmergency departmentAn emergency department , also known as accident & emergency , emergency room , emergency ward , or casualty department is a medical treatment facility specialising in acute care of patients who present without prior appointment, either by their own means or by ambulance...
, before transferring patients to a better-equipped hospital, prolonging the journey by four kilometers and delaying treatment. Furthermore, Tai Po Jockey Club Clinic (the only medical center in Tai PoTai PoTai Po is an area in the New Territories of Hong Kong. It refers to the vicinity of the traditional market towns in the area presently known as Tai Po Old Market or Tai Po Kau Hui and the Tai Wo Town on the other side of the Lam Tsuen River, near the old Tai Po Market Station of the...
at the time) lacked the ability to handle any large-scale crisis. - Another criticism was that the Hong Kong Government's emergency Co-ordination Centre was not in operation during this incident, hence the search and rescue effort was somewhat lacking in co-ordination.