Elderly couple escape fire in Hong Kong flat, 91 residents evacuated from block
- Electric appliance caught fire in the living room of 26th-floor flat, says police spokesman
- Home of couple, both aged 70, badly damaged in blaze, which started in early hours
An elderly couple managed to flee from a fire in their public housing flat in northern Hong Kong, with the blaze leading to more than 90 residents evacuating from the block in the early hours of Tuesday.
Emergency services were called to the scene along Tsing Lun Road in Tuen Mun when the blaze broke out in the pair’s flat at Siu Hong Court shortly before 2am.
A police spokesman said a preliminary investigation indicated an electric appliance had caught fire in the living room of the 26th-floor home in Siu Wing House.
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The couple, both aged 70, managed to run out of the flat before the flames spread and gutted their home. The pair were among 91 residents who left the 29-storey building.
The Fire Services Department deployed nine fire engines and six ambulances to tackle the first-alarm fire. The severity of fires in the city is graded on a scale of one to five, with the latter being the most serious.
A spokeswoman for the department said 80 residents had fled before the arrival of emergency personnel and the remaining 11 were led to safety by firefighters.
Firefighters used a water jet and mobilised a rescue team equipped with breathing apparatus to battle the flames. The fire was extinguished by 2.44am. The flat was badly damaged in the blaze.
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The couple and their three neighbours complained of feeling unwell after inhaling smoke. The group, comprising two men and three women, aged 40 to 86, were sent to Tuen Mun Hospital for treatment.
Affected residents were later allowed to return to their homes.
The spokeswoman said an initial investigation found nothing suspicious in the cause of the blaze, which was still being investigated.
