Hing Wah Court near Patane Market was on fire yesterday afternoon, and the Fire Services Bureau (CB) said in a statement that it suspected that the fire was caused by burning incense.
According to the statement, 45 people were evacuated from the building. The statement noted that a 31-year-old local man inhaled smoke and was rushed to hospital, while four females and a man felt unwell but were treated on the spot.
The statement noted that it took the firefighters six minutes to put out the fire at the scene. The statement said that the fire started on the balcony of a flat on the third floor, adding that the resident of the unit said that the balcony was used for keeping shoes and other miscellaneous items. The statement also said that the bureau suspects an illegal structure on the balcony where the fire started, pointing out that the matter has been transferred to the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) for further investigation.
One of the residents who lives on the sixth floor told reporters that when the fire started, she did not dare to leave her flat, worrying that it might cause an explosion, so she and her family and were stuck inside the flat for 30 minutes before firefighters arrived and evacuated them. Another resident who lives on the 12th floor told reporters that along with other people, they rushed to the rooftop on the 24th floor and waited for the firefighters to rescue them.
Smoke envelopes the third floor of Hing Wah Court in the peninsula’s Patane district yesterday. Photo courtesy of TDM
