Elderly man dies, woman in critical condition after ‘suspicious’ fire breaks out at Hong Kong subdivided flat
- 72-year-old man, 42-year-old mother were among six rushed to hospital after firefighters tackled blaze at Tsuen Wan district flat in early hours of Wednesday
- Police investigating cause of fire that forced rescuers to evacuate 22 people and resulted in another 60 fleeing the area
An elderly man died and a woman remained in a critical condition on Thursday morning following a blaze at a subdivided flat in Hong Kong’s Tsuen Wan district, with firefighters flagging the incident as suspicious to police.
Police said the 71-year-old man surnamed Lo and the 42-year-old woman, identified only by the surname Lam, were found unconscious at the scene in the early hours of Wednesday and rushed to nearby Yan Chai Hospital.
Hong Kong police probe death of man after suspected fall from fire-hit building
The woman was later transferred to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan for further treatment.
The pair were in a serious condition on Wednesday, but the man succumbed to his injuries the following morning at 7.55am.
Lam’s teenage son and daughter, the children’s father and a 22-year-old woman living in another flat were also taken to hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation. The four have since been discharged.
Police were alerted to the incident at about 12.20am by residents at the building on Sha Tsui Road.
Firefighters reached the scene about four minutes later and deployed 54 firefighters to battle the blaze. The fire was extinguished by 1.10am.
A total of 22 people were rescued from the building and another 60 people evacuated themselves during the incident.
The Fire Services Department said the fire was suspicious and referred the case to police, who said the incident was being investigated.
