Wong Tai Sin fire blazes for seven hours, 700 evacuated
Firefighters take hours to control fire on huge site and residents say they heard no alarms
A fire which broke out early yesterday at a market in Wong Tai Sin blazed for seven hours and forced the evacuation of about 700 people.
Eight people aged between 13 and 85 suffered smoke inhalation and were taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
The fire started at a dry products store on the first floor of Tai Shing Street Market.
Dense smoke soon filled the whole street and spread throughout the building, and several explosions were heard.
People living in the five blocks of Kai Tak Garden above the street market were evacuated. Firefighters rescued one woman from the first floor.
Those evacuated, many of them elderly, had to wait in a nearby park or on a flyover until it was safe to return to their homes.
The fire broke out at about 4am and was not brought under control until 9am. It was finally put out two hours later.