When 600 died in fire at Hong Kong racecourse 100 years ago
The Happy Valley inferno remains ‘one of the most terrible calamities in the history of Hongkong’, as the South China Morning Post described it a century ago
“Terrible Race Day Calamity: Disastrous Collapse of Stands – Many Burnt to Death, Golf Club Gutted”, ran the headline in the South China Morning Post 100 years ago, on February 27, 1918. “The second day’s racing of the Hongkong Jockey Club [annual Derby Day races] was marred by one of the most terrible calamities in the history of Hongkong,” the report said.
“The ponies were just out for The China Stakes, the first race after tiffin interval, when the catastrophe occurred. Suddenly a shout arose from the matsheds [bamboo-and-matting temporary racestands] running from the Royal Hongkong Golf Club along Wong Nei Cheong Road. People were seen rushing out of the stands on to the course and then came a noise like the explosion of a huge string of crackers. The matched nearest the Golf Club was seen to lean towards the road and collapse.
“The rest of the line of matsheds followed like a pack of cards burying hundreds of their inmates in their ruins. […] To make the situation more serious a fire started at one of the matsheds situated in the centre of the line. This was undoubtedly caused by the matting falling on some cooking stands situated immediately behind them. Within half an hour of the first warning of the disaster the whole of the matsheds were a blazing heap.”
More than 600 people died in the collapse and conflagration. “There were many cases of people being burnt to death in front of the eyes of their would-be rescuers, men working on with desperation until the flames were literally on top of them,” the Post reported.