Killer Ngau Tau Kok fire tamed after 80 hours
Residents pay tribute to the two firefighters who died while battling the blaze as security minister rejects concerns the building could collapse
The killer blaze that burned out of control for four days at an industrial building in a densely packed Hong Kong neighbourhood was finally tamed on Friday night, as the city’s security minister rejected concerns that the entire block could collapse.
The inferno at the Amoycan Industrial Centre in Ngau Tau Kok was brought under control at 7.38pm, more than 80 hours after it broke out on Tuesday, killing two firefighters over two days.
Thomas Cheung, 30, and Samuel Hui Chi-kit, 37, have been hailed as heroes, amid an outpouring of public support and sympathy. Two others were still in the hospital yesterday in a stable condition.
The fire started at the SC Storage facility on Tuesday, making it the longest running blaze in the city in more than 20 years.
Deputy chief fire officer Kong Ping-lam said teams of firefighters battling the smoke and flames had progressed to the third, fourth and fifth floors. The blaze did not spread beyond that. For the first time since the fire swept through the building on Tuesday, photos emerged on Friday of the interior of the mini-storage facility, showing the damage and reflecting the daunting challenges that remained as the battle was not over yet.