Fire truck aerial ladder collapses, blocks traffic on main road in Hong Kong
- 56-metre (184-foot) aerial ladder attached to a fire truck falls during an inspection, causing three lanes of Kai Cheung Road in Kowloon Bay to be blocked
- Incident occurred at 3.25pm on Friday afternoon and no injuries were reported
A 56-metre (184-foot) aerial ladder attached to a fire truck collapsed on Friday at a fire station in Hong Kong during a monthly inspection, blocking the traffic of a nearby main road.
The Fire Services Department said the mechanically-operated extendable ladder attached to the fire truck at Kowloon Bay fire station collapsed across three lanes of Kai Cheung Road in Kowloon Bay at 3.25pm on Friday afternoon.
No injuries or casualties were reported.
According to footage from a car dashboard camera, the ladder with the fire lift could be seen fully extended before suddenly falling onto the road and causing the fire truck to turn onto its side.
The fire lift platform was shattered from the fall, with parts strewn across the road.
A large crane was called on site to lift the wreckage and move the fallen ladder arm away from Kai Cheung Road.
“The department takes the accident very seriously and has set up a task force to investigate the cause of the accident,” the department said.
The damaged truck was first put into service on June 6, 2018, and had passed inspections every four months until November 2023.
The department said it will immediately cease using the remaining three trucks of the same model, until the vehicles pass a comprehensive safety inspection.
During this period, the department said it would deploy other backup ladder trucks to maintain operational efficiency.
A police spokeswoman said that the force had received a report at 3.29pm that the fire truck ladder had fallen across Kai Cheung Road and blocked traffic on the carriageway.
In response, police set up a cordon on the road.
“The Fire Services Department cut the ladder at the scene and reopened all the lanes of Kai Cheung Road,” she said.
