Firemen rescued a three-year-old boy locked in a flat which caught fire in Tai Kok Tsui yesterday, prompting fresh concern about the plight of home-alone children in Hong Kong.
The boy was found alone and unconscious. He had suffered severe smoke inhalation. He was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital, where he remained in serious condition last night.
Police arrested the boy's 20-year-old father and the man's 17-year-old girlfriend on suspicion of child abuse when they went to the flat after the fire was put out. Police said the child appeared to have cane marks on his body.
Neighbours raised the alarm soon after midnight when they heard the boy cry for help and saw smoke billowing from the flat.
Firemen found the boy lying in the dining room, his face and limbs blackened by smoke. Police estimated the fire had broken out within 10 minutes of the couple leaving the boy unattended.
A preliminary investigation by firefighters suggested the fire had been caused by a cigarette butt left burning on a bed.
Police said they had contacted the boy's mother.