2 rushed to hospital, 77 evacuated in Hong Kong village as fire rips through squatter huts
- Authorities deploy 150 emergency personnel and six ambulances to No 3 alarm blaze at Wang Lung Tsuen in Tsuen Wan
- Intense flames and remote water source heightened difficulties for rescuers
Two people were rushed to hospital and 77 other residents evacuated after a fire that lasted nearly three hours broke out in squatter huts in a Hong Kong village on Friday morning.
Authorities were alerted at 4.11am and deployed 150 firefighters and ambulance personnel to Wang Lung Tsuen in Tsuen Wan, with the blaze upgraded to a No 3 alarm at 4.39am.
Hong Kong uses a five-tier system to rate the severity of fires, with five as the most serious.
The department also dispatched 29 fire engines and six ambulances. Firefighters used six jets and mobilised six breathing apparatus teams to fight the flames, which were largely put out by 6.56am.
An 80-year-old man and a boy, 15, felt unwell after inhaling thick smoke and were sent to Yan Chai Hospital in Tsuen Wan for treatment, while 77 other people were evacuated to safety. The teen was later transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung.
According to the department, the fire broke out in three squatter huts spanning an area of 9,688 sq ft – about 3½ tennis courts. About sixteen residents living in the homes were relocated.
An occupant of one of the huts said they were almost trapped by the fire.