At least five people were killed and dozens more were injured in Hong Kong yesterday after a fire broke out in an old residential building in one of the territory’s most densely populated districts.
Authorities said 41 people were injured and about 300 more were evacuated after the blaze began at the 13-story building in the city’s Yau Ma Tei neighborhood in Kowloon shortly after 7:53am.
Hundreds of firefighters put out the fire at the 60-year-old building after several hours rescuing 250 people, with 50 more evacuating themselves, local fire department official Lam Kin-kwan told reporters.
Photo: Reuters
Among the injured were 38 hospitalized with burns and inhalation injuries, assistant chief ambulance officer Tong Sze-ho said.
Local broadcasters showed images of some residents waving towels from their windows to appeal for help while others rushed to the building’s rooftop.
Lam said the fire started outside a fitness center on the first floor and quickly began to spread to the upper floor.
Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee (李家超) said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths and injuries, and extended his condolences to the affected families.
Hong Kong has some of the world’s most densely populated — and tallest — apartment blocks. Deadly fires used to be a regular scourge, especially in poorer neighborhoods. However, in recent decades safety measures have been ramped up and such fires have become much less commonplace.
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