Modest Hong Kong hero recalls how he and work colleagues rescued 20 after deadly blaze broke out in next-door building
- Man Suet-leung, 34, and his colleagues had just started work at a Yau Ma Tei construction site when they heard screams for help
- He and seven colleagues helped to evacuate people from the first-floor podium of New Lucky House
Welder Man Suet-leung, 34, and his colleagues had just started work at a Yau Ma Tei construction site on Wednesday morning when they heard screams for help coming from the 16-storey New Lucky House next door.
A blaze broke out before 8am on lower floors of the 60-year-old building – which included 35 guest houses, subdivided flats and commercial premises – killing five people and injuring 43 others.
“I saw people standing there. There was no reason not to rescue them,” Man said on Thursday, recalling how his ad hoc team of eight helped residents to evacuate from the podium, with a photo of him holding an old man circulating widely online.
Man said he made his way into the building to check if people were in need of help amid thick, choking smoke and found the old man standing alone.
“My throat felt uncomfortable when I stepped inside. The lights were out. There was water over the ground,” he said.