Flaming cocktail could have started blaze that killed three in Hong Kong bartender’s subdivided flat, source says
Friends of victim Luk Hon-yin, 25, tell police he had made such beverages at home in the past
An attempt to concoct a flaming cocktail drink could have caused a blaze that killed three Hong Kong youngsters in a subdivided flat over the weekend, the Post has learned.
According to a government source with knowledge of the case, investigators suspect that some cotton-filled soundproofing pads in the flat could have been set alight by someone trying to mix a flaming drink.
The flat, which is less than 300 sq ft in size, had been rented by one of the victims – part-time bartender Luk Hon-yin, 25 – for about a year, and was used as a “hang-out” for drinking and karaoke, the source said.
“We suspect the three victims were unable to escape in time and were forced to hide in the toilet because the fire broke out near the exit and blocked the escape route,” he added.
The theory was formed after Luk’s friends told police he had made flaming drinks there in the past. But even if this was the case, the source said it was unknown who was mixing the cocktail at the time of the incident.