Hong Kong family in hospital, residents evacuated after a bedtime cigarette sets off blaze
Man accidentally lights his bedsheet on fire in Wong Chuk Hang home
Residents of a Wong Chuk Hang block of flats were evacuated Friday morning after a man accidentally set his own bed on fire while trying to smoke a cigarette.
The 41-year-old man, his elderly parents and their domestic helper were all taken to Ruttonjee Hospital in Wan Chai after he attempted to light the cigarette in bed, but instead set his bedsheet on fire.
The man suffered minor burns to his right leg after he tried and failed to extinguish the blaze in the 21st floor Broadview Court flat, located on Shum Wan Road.
His mother, 83, and their helper, 34, were being treated for smoke inhalation, and his father, 86, suffered minor facial injuries, according to police.
Emergency crews were called when the blaze at 2.51am on Friday morning.
“Initial investigations showed the man tried to light a cigarette with a lighter, but accidentally set alight a bedsheet,” a police spokesman said.
Firefighters led 20 residents, including the four injured, to safety during the incident. The blaze was finally extinguished at 3.18am.
A government spokeswoman said a mattress was damaged and initial investigations found nothing suspicious.
