Charred, melted, burnt to cinders: blaze leaves Hong Kong residential building looking like war zone
Post reporter Raymond Yeung and photographer Dickson Lee gain access to the apartment ravaged by fire on Hennessy Road, Wan Chai
In scenes reminiscent of a war zone, the affected floors of a Wan Chai residential building remained sealed off on Wednesday after a raging fire ripped through a unit and damaged many others.
Photos and videos captured by the Post show debris littering the entire lobby of the eighth floor of Kai Ming Building on Hennessy Road, where the blaze broke out at around 1pm on Tuesday.
A Post investigation showed the ceiling of the staircases and lobby had been completely charred. Puddles of water covered the floor, and the heat from the fire had been so strong it melted many objects, including plastic fire escape signs.
A unit on the eighth floor was burnt to cinders, with little for the residents to salvage.
Residents had spent the night at a temporary shelter run by the Home Affairs Department in Wan Chai.
The lift remained shut, though the water and power supply have been resumed.
On Tuesday, investigators said they were looking into the cause of the fire. It also emerged that an unstable water supply had slowed down firefighters’ ability to put out the blaze that sparked three hours of traffic chaos across Hong Kong island.
“As a result, firefighters had to get water from fire hydrants on the street and lay hoses to the eighth floor,” said Lam Yuk-kwan, Hong Kong Central Fire Services divisional commander, noting that the blaze broke out in an eighth-floor flat and ignited items fell into a sixth-floor flat.
Police said 20 residents were evacuated, and firefighters led 11 to safety during the blaze.
It is understood that the Fire Services Department has passed on the case to the Buildings Department for follow-up action.
Around 10 residents from 12 units on the sixth to ninth floors are still desperate to find out when they can return home.
Two residents – an elderly man and an elderly woman – remain in Ruttonjee Hospital after inhaling smoke from the fire.
