Sham Shui Po fire that injured three was failed suicide attempt, police claim
Police believe husband tried to kill himself; his wife and a security guard were also injured
A man is in a serious condition in hospital after a fire broke out in his gas-filled flat in Sham Shui Po. The blaze also injured his wife and a security guard.
Police investigators believe the 52-year-old man disconnected a gas tube from a stove in a suicide attempt while alone in the ninth-floor flat at Fu Yee House in Fu Cheong Estate on Sham Mong Road.
The blaze started at about 10am, when his wife, 52, returned home and hit a switch on the stove while attempting to turn off the gas, a firefighter said.
"There was a flash and then the flat caught fire," a police officer said.
The case follows a fatal explosion in Shek Kip Mei last month that left several firemen fighting for their lives. That incident involved an apparent suicide. In yesterday's case, neighbours reported hearing a bang but investigators said there were no signs of an explosion in the flat.