Gifts For Ghosts
The Garley Building; November 21, 1996.
During work in an elevator shaft, a welding torch sparked flammable materials, setting off an inferno which killed 40 people and injured 81.
The fire spread at high speed through the lift shafts and settled into the top three floors of the 16-storey office tower. Windows couldn't be opened to release smoke and heat; escape routes were impassable. The 21-year-old building had no sprinkler system nor automated fire alarm.
Hundreds of fire fighters converged on the scene. Ninety people were saved, with some lifted from the roof by helicopter: a dangerous maneuver, considering the surrounding high-rises. The blaze raged for 20 hours before it was brought under control.
The burned-out hulk sat empty until developers began demolishing it to make way for a shopping mall. Locals were relieved the eyesore and unpleasant reminder of the tragedy was being torn down.
During demolition, an old extinguisher left behind from the fire exploded, tearing a worker's arm off. Some neighbourhood residents believed the Garley Building was haunted.
To relieve their anxiety and appease the spirits of the dead, a Taoist ceremony was held for four hours, during which a paper building with 40 flats, each containing clothing, jewellery, a cupboard and basic items, was burned. As with Hell money, the belief is the dead will acquire these things in the afterlife.
Burning offerings to placate fire victims is ironic; the hope is the rest of the demolition and future construction will be free of accidents.
No one wants a haunted shopping mall.
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