A leaking seven-seat vehicle led firefighters to a suspected illegal petrol-filling operation at Tsz Lok Estate, where officers seized 921 litres of petrol — enough to fill about 20 private cars.
The Fire Services Department was alerted on the evening of September 14 after the vehicle was reported to be leaking fuel and giving off a strong petrol smell in the Phase 2 car park. Firefighters covered the spill with sawdust and remained at the scene. They found a fuel tank and refuelling equipment inside the vehicle, and the department later removed all the fuel and equipment.
A 34-year-old man holding a two-way permit was arrested on suspicion of multiple offences under the Dangerous Goods Ordinance and the Fire Services Ordinance. The suspected offences included excessive storage of dangerous goods, failures involving packaging, marking and labelling, and illegal possession of controlled substances.
The department said illegally storing and transferring petrol in the car park could seriously endanger estate residents and car-park users, as a fire involving the highly flammable fuel could lead to an explosion in the densely populated estate.
On Tuesday, the department held a joint meeting with the Wong Tai Sin District Office, the local Fire Safety Committee and the relevant property management firm to discuss stronger monitoring and greater vigilance among frontline staff. It also urged the public to report suspected illegal refuelling through its complaints platform.