3 die after fluorescent tube causes flat fire in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district
Six-year-old boy among victims in late-night blaze in Kin Wong Mansion flat
Two men and a six-year-old boy have died in hospital after a fire suspected to have been caused by a fluorescent tube engulfed their flat in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district.
Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin said on Friday that investigations had found a badly burnt fluorescent tube next to the air-conditioning unit in the flat. The blaze killed two men, aged 80 and 53, and the boy in Kin Wong Mansion on Sai Yee Street near Argyle Street.
Firefighters found the victims unconscious in the kitchen and toilet of the third-floor flat shortly after the blaze was reported at about 11.10pm on Thursday.
The victims, who had no burns, were rushed to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where they were later certified dead.
A 75-year-old woman who was calling for help near the flat window was taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital, also in Yau Ma Tei, after inhaling dense smoke.
Police investigations revealed that the boy was the woman’s great-grandson, while the two men were her boyfriend and son.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze by 11.49pm. Two cats were found dead in the flat’s toilet and living room.