Hong Kong authorities are proposing tougher penalties for fire installation contractors who improperly shut down or fail to report malfunctions in firefighting systems. These changes follow the city's deadliest fire in recent decades.

Hong Kong authorities have proposed new offences with tougher punishments for fire installation contractors who fail to obtain prior approval before deactivating firefighting systems or do not report malfunctions within 24 hours, in the wake of the city’s deadliest fire in decades, the South China Morning Post has learned. Other proposed changes included drastically increasing the maximum penalty for existing offences related to the unauthorised handling of fire equipment and the issuance of...