- Authorities deployed 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 men were rushed to hospital and 77 other residents were 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.
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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.
Two men, aged 80 and 15, felt unwell after inhaling thick smoke and were sent to Yan Chai Hospital for treatment, while 77 other people were evacuated to safety. The teen was later transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital.
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.
The intense fire and remote water source increased difficulties for firefighters and rescue work, authorities said.
“The main difficulties in rescue were that the fire was severe, water source was remote, the fire was big and the area involved was very large,” said Yue Tsz-kit, divisional officer of the Fire Services Department.
No dangerous goods were found at the scene, and the cause of the blaze is still under investigation.
A Home Affairs and Youth Bureau spokesman said it had opened a temporary shelter at Lei Muk Shue Community Hall for residents. He added that the Tsuen Wan District Office would monitor the situation and liaise with other government departments to assist.