1986 Cipel-Marco fur factory explosion

January 2026 Factory explosion in Hong Kong On 8 October 1986, an explosion occurred at the Cipel-Marco fur factory1993-06-03 Tragedy at work has long history https://www.scmp.com/article/32025/tragedy-work-has-long-history https://web.archive.org/web/20210622060608/https://www.scmp.com/article/32025/tragedy-work-has-long-history 2021-06-22 2025-10-08 South China Morning Post en located on the third floor of Wing Loi Industrial Building on Wing Lap Street, Kwai Chung, Hong Kong. The explosion was followed by a massive fire, which ultimately resulted in 14 deaths and 10 injuries.皮草廠房爆炸 廿四工人受傷。1986年10月9日。華僑日報，第二張第二頁 。祝君安好 致麗大火三十周年紀念 https://ol.mingpao.com/ldy/cultureleisure/culture/20231119/1700326456830/%e7%a5%9d%e5%90%9b%e5%ae%89%e5%a5%bd-%e8%87%b4%e9%ba%97%e5%a4%a7%e7%81%ab%e4%b8%89%e5%8d%81%e5%91%a8%e5%b9%b4%e7%b4%80%e5%bf%b5 2025-10-06 明報 Our Lifestyle zh-hant It is one of the most significant industrial accidents in Hong Kong's history. Background The factory owner, a foreign national, had established the plant about a year earlier. It occupied two units in the Wing Loi Industrial Building, totaling more than 10,000 square feet. The factory mainly engaged in mink fur processing, including deodorizing and anti-mold treatments. There were over sixty employees working in two shifts—day and night. Incident At the time of the incident, workers were operating as usual, placing mink furs into steam ovens for processing. They failed to notice that the bearings of a large drum used for leather treatment had overheated, causing the sawdust attached to the drum to reach high temperatures. At 7:08 p.m. on 8 October 1986, the high temperature ignited flammable gases in the air, triggering an explosion. The blast caused the fire to spread rapidly. The factory's sprinkler system activated, which helped reduce the flames. At 7:10 p.m., firefighters arrived and began to combat the blaze, which was later upgraded to a three-alarm fire. Ambulances transported the injured to Princess Margaret Hospital for treatment. The fire was extinguished by 8:06 p.m. Investigation The accident was suspected to have been caused by flammable cleaning liquid—benzene, used in the steam cleaning room. When benzene vapors were exposed to air for some time, the flammable concentration reached 1.3% to 7.1%. Once ignited, an explosion would occur immediately. Aftermath The explosion and fire highlighted loopholes in Hong Kong's regulation of industrial hazardous chemicals at the time. The incident aroused widespread public concern, with many criticizing the factory's inadequate safety measures. It also prompted the government to implement the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Dangerous Substances) Regulations Cap.79AB in 1988 to strengthen the management of hazardous chemicals and enhance occupational health and safety workers.Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Dangerous Substances) Regulations https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap59AB 2025-10-06 Hong Kong e-Legislation zh-hk Meanwhile, labor and social organizations demanded legislation requiring factories to provide employees with information about the properties and protective measures related to chemicals used in the workplace. They also advocated the adoption of non-flammable chemicals to reduce the risk of similar disasters.1986-11-19 一九八六年十一月十九日 立法局會議過程正式紀錄 https://www.legco.gov.hk/yr86-87/chinese/lc_sitg/hansard/h861119.pdf 2025-10-07 香港立法會 zh-hk References Hong Kong Category:1986 industrial disasters Category:1986 explosions Category:Industrial accidents and incidents in Hong Kong Category:Fires in Hong Kong