16 vehicles damaged in garage fire in Hong Kong village

At least three classic and vintage cars were among 16 vehicles damaged in a fire that broke out in a garage in the north of Hong Kong in the early hours of Friday.

Twenty villagers fled their homes in Tong Kung Leng, off Fan Kam Road in Fanling, soon after 1am when the single-storey garage burst into flames.

“There were sounds of explosions and there was thick smoke pouring out of the burning garage,” said a female villager surnamed Chan, who lives near the garage.

Eleven fire engines and one ambulance were sent to the scene, according to the Fire Services Department.

The deadly Hong Kong hill fire that claimed the lives of three students and two teachers in 1996

An elderly woman in a wheelchair was evacuated from the village by emergency workers.

Firefighters used three water jets to battle the blaze, which was put out at 2.20am. No casualties were reported.

A spokeswoman for the fire department said 11 cars were seriously damaged in the blaze and five others slightly damaged or blackened.

One of the vintage cars was burned to its frame and the other two, one of which was a Mercedes-Benz, also suffered extensive damage.

A police spokesman said it seemed a short circuit was the cause of the fire and there were no suspicious circumstances.