Hong Kong  - Hong Kong fire and safety experts began a one-month joint operation checking karaoke bars Monday following a fire which killed four people earlier this month.

The operation will check fire safety provisions at all karaoke bars located in old buildings shared with other businesses and residential units.

It follows a fire in a 15-storey building in the Mongkok district just over one week ago in which two firemen and two other people lost their lives.

The blaze - one of the worst in the city in the last decade - began in a karaoke nightclub on the mezzanine floor of the building early on a Sunday morning and spread upwards through the high-rise block of flats, trapping dozens of residents.

Residents and experts claimed lack of fire doors in the bar and illegal constructions were the reasons why the fire spread so quickly.

The month-long operation will be carried out by officers from the Fire Services Department and other government departments responsible for licensing matters for karaoke bars.

Those found to be in contravention of regulations risk prosecution and suspension of their licences, a government spokesman said. (dpa)