A massive fire broke out in a residential complex in Hong Kong, in which 55 people were burnt alive and more than 300 are missing. More than 900 people were rendered homeless. The fire caused huge damage to houses and valuables. Some people have described the scary experience related to this fire.
Hong Kong Fire Tragedy: 55 people were burnt alive in a massive fire that broke out in 7 multistorey towers of a residential complex in Hong Kong on Wednesday afternoon, while more than 300 are missing. The dead also included a 37-year-old firefighter who got separated from his team while extinguishing the fire. More than 900 people have become homeless, who are currently kept in temporary shelters. People saw their houses and valuables burning before their eyes. Thousands of people have been rendered homeless in this accident, which is the world’s biggest fire.
Most of the people living in the neighborhood are elderly
For some long-time residents of Tai Po, the shock was even deeper. A 65-year-old man surnamed Yuen said he had been living there for 40 years. His neighborhood is populated by elderly people, many of whom rely on wheelchairs or walkers. The fire has left Yuen and his wife homeless. According to him, the windows were closed due to maintenance. Some people did not even know that there was a fire and neighbors called them and asked them to vacate the house. I am broken.
Elderly man trapped on 27th floor narrates his ordeal
Tong Pingmoon, 74, who lives in Block 1, said he was the first to smell the smoke. Shortly afterward, a firefighter knocked on his door and told him and his wife that a nearby building was on fire. As the smoke increased, Tong and his wife hid in the bathroom. The gap below the door was closed with wet towels and the ventilation fan was turned on. Also called for help. He said that the rescue team reached him around 6 pm. According to Tong, “We were very lucky. If we had to go out alone, we would not have survived.” We were trapped on the 27th floor of the building. Volunteers rushed to help and saved our lives.
My heart was trembling with fear
Logan Yeung, 29, said he planned to remain at the site until the rescue was finished. According to Logan, my heart was trembling with fear. I think this accident happened due to construction problems. Another 57-year-old resident of Tai Po said, “We were not worried even after seeing our property burning in the fire. We were just hoping that everyone, whether old or young, would survive. The fire service was finding it difficult to enter the towers due to the extreme heat.
How did the accident happen?
The fire broke out at around 2:50 pm on Wednesday afternoon in the residential colony of Tai Po, a sub-urban area in Hong Kong. This complex has eight towers and about 2,000 apartments, where 4800 people live. Workers were carrying out repair work and the buildings were covered with bamboo scaffolding. Last year, even after officials had warned about the danger of bamboo, a fire broke out here. Since bamboo catches fire and burns very quickly, it is believed that bamboo scaffoldings are responsible for this. But it is not yet clear how the fire started.