Two people, a 72-year-old man and his 27-year-old son, were seriously injured in a blaze in their fourth-floor home in an old residential building on Avenida Almirante Lacerda on Macau peninsula this morning, according to Public Security Police (PSP) and Fire Services Bureau (CB) reports.
A PSP spokesperson said this afternoon that the 72-year-old man had meanwhile died, while his son was in critical condition.
According to the reports, both were rushed to the public Conde de S. Januario Hospital Centre for emergency treatment. The elderly man reportedly sustained serious burns and, according to the report, was not breathing and had no signs of a heartbeat upon arrival at the hospital. His son, according to the report, sustained burns on his right foot and was affected by smoke inhalation.
While the elderly male later died of his injuries, his son was in critical condition this evening.
The Fire Services Bureau (CB), which was alerted about the fire at about 7 a.m., said that a cat was rescued from the burning flat. The cat has been handed to the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM). Several residents said they had heard an explosion. It took firemen about half an hour to extinguish the blaze which engulfed the low-rise building in thick smoke.
Eight people living on the same floor were evacuated by the firefighters, while 28 others self-evacuated. The government is providing temporary housing to the evacuees.
The Fire Services Bureau said this afternoon that a short circuit in a household appliance was the probable cause of the violent fire. According to a spokesperson for the bureau, some of the building's electrical equipment was under repairs at the time of the incident. The Judiciary Police (PJ) are investigating the incident.
Fire-related deaths are rare in Macau.
