The Fire at Mei Yue House of Shek Kip Mei Estate Caused 1 Death and 8 Injuries

A fire broke out at Mei Yue House of Shek Kip Mei Estate this morning, causing one death and eight injuries to date. The injured have been sent to Caritas Medical Centre and Kwong Wah Hospital for treatment.

A fire broke out at Mei Yue House of Shek Kip Mei Estate this morning. Photo source: screenshot of i-CABLE News

A fire broke out at Mei Yue House of Shek Kip Mei Estate this morning. Photo source: screenshot of i-CABLE News

The fire unit was surrounded by blazing fire and kept emitting thick smoke. An elderly woman was suspected of suffering from the inhalation of the thick smoke and received on-site treatment from the ambulance crew, while another elderly woman needed to be transported to the hospital on a stretcher. Some people even needed to wear oxygen masks when escaping. The firemen kept spraying water to cool the blackened fire unit.

Photo source: screenshot of i-CABLE News

About 200 residents were evacuated from the site. Many of them escaped in their pajamas, while some even wrapped in a blanket. Some firemen asked the residents about their units' location to check whether it was on the floor of origin.

Some people even needed to wear oxygen masks when escaping. Photo source: screenshot of i-CABLE News

One resident said that he thought it was merely a drill when he heard the fire alarm, since the alarm had rung several days before. Nevertheless, when he saw the smoke on the 21st floor, he realized it was a real fire accident. He ran down immediately and saw two people helping to fight the fire, but they found that the fire hydrants couldn't release water. Even the water hose on the 21st floor couldn't dispense water either.

Mr. Chow, who lived on the floor of origin, said that his unit was only two or three units away from the fire unit. When the fire alarm went off, thick smoke quickly filled his house. He immediately called his wife to enter the safe room and sealed the door gap with a wet towel. Nevertheless, the entire unit has already been filled with black smoke, causing him to call the police for help. Fortunately, the firemen entered their unit and rescued them in time. Mr. Chow said that since he couldn't see the unit clearly at such an emergency time, he had no time to take any personal belongings.

As for an elderly woman who also lived on the floor of origin, she said that she heard some neighbors shout outside when the fire alarm rang. Realizing that an emergency had occurred, she dragged her nearly 100-year-old husband downstairs quickly, without putting on their coats or shoes. She said, "Saving lives is the most important thing."

Miss Wong, who lived five floors above the fire unit, said that she was still sleeping when the fire alarm went off. Waking up with a start, she noticed black smoke rising onto the floor where she lived, and someone even shouted "Fire! Fire!". Consequently, she hurriedly took her two cats to escape together.
Some residents said that a fire alarm had gone off mistakenly last week, making them think it was the same situation this time. However, it wasn't until they heard the neighbors shouting that they realized a real fire had occurred.

Photo source: screenshot of i-CABLE News

A fire broke out in a unit at Cho Yiu Chuen in Lai King at noon, resulting in the death of a 70-year-old man.

Photo source: FB

The Fire Services Department received a report at 12:41 pm that a fire broke out in a unit at Kai Him Lau. A hose and a Breathing Apparatus Team were dispatched to extinguish the fire, which was put out before 1 pm. A 70-year-old man was found inside the fire unit and confirmed dead.

Preliminary investigations by the Fire Services Department revealed that the fire was caused by the burning of mugwort inside the unit. According to information provided by the victim's family, the victim suffered from limited mobility recently and had a habit of burning mugwort. The firemen did find some burning mugwort on the site. The fire unit, approximately 400 square feet in size, was normally furnished, with no unusual clutter. As for the fire, it broke out in a bedroom of about 60 square feet.

Photo source: Screenshot of the FB video of the Fire Services Department

The Fire Services Department received the report at 12:41 pm and arrived at the scene 5 minutes later. A total of 13 fire trucks, 3 ambulances, and 71 fire and ambulance personnel were dispatched. A hose and a Breathing Apparatus Team were also dispatched to extinguish the fire. The fire was put out after 10 minutes of rescue. The Fire Services Department stated that the building's fire alarm sounded during the accident, with the fire hose functioning normally. Approximately 50 residents evacuated to safety on their own.

Photo source: FB