History

1. The Shek Kip Mei Estate

2. Situation in late1940s

3. Shek Kip Mei Fire

Shek Kip Mei Fire

On Christmas Day in 1953, a massive fire swept the Shek Kip Mei squatter area.
The blaze lasted for 6 hours and was put under control on Christmas Day at around 2:30am.
It left 53,000 people homeless overnight.
After the fire, it prompted the Government to get directly involved in housing production.

The governor AlexanderGrantham launched a public housing program to introduce
the idea of "multi story building" for the immigrant population living there.
The new structure would standardize on fire-flood-proof construction.

The program involved demolishing the rest of the makeshift houses left untouched by the fire,
and the construction of the Shek Kip Mei Low-cost Housing Estate

↑The Shek Kip Mei squatter area in conflagration on Christmas evening, 1953.

↑The fire left 53,000 people homeless overnight.