26 C
Dubai
Friday, March 29, 2024
spot_img

World News | Firefighters fight fire in Hong Kong shopping district

[ad_1]

The LATAM Airlines plane hit the vehicle on the runway (Image: Twitter / @AirCrash_)

HONG KONG, March 3 (AP) — Hong Kong firefighters battled a blaze Friday that erupted overnight at a construction site in a popular shopping district, forcing the evacuation of 170 people in nearby buildings.

The fire broke out at the Seamen’s Club redevelopment project in the densely populated Tsim Sha Tsui district at about 11 p.m. on Thursday. No injuries have been reported.

Read also | Winter storm: Tornadoes, power outages hit Texas, Louisiana, hundreds of flights canceled

Multiple floors of the building – including scaffolding – caught fire, with burning debris floating in the air.

Imperial’s redevelopment plan is to create a 42-story architectural landmark to house the historic Mariners Club and a new hotel, the company’s website says.

Read also | G20 summit in 2023: India is off to a very promising start with its stewardship of the G20, US says.

Jiang Saiming, deputy director of the fire department, said that as of 8:30 a.m., the fire had been basically extinguished and authorities were still investigating the cause of the fire. Firefighters battled the blaze for about nine hours.

When firefighters arrived on the scene Thursday night, they found multiple floors of the building ablaze, Jiang said, but only makeshift firefighting equipment was available.

“The building is still under construction, and the firefighting equipment that is common in other buildings is not ready to use,” he said. “We need a lot of people to supply water to the very high floors to fight the fire, so we have a lot of challenges.”

Construction materials there, including wooden planks and metal rods, also made it difficult for firefighters to move around, he added.

The plot is surrounded by a shopping mall, several hotels, and some residential and commercial buildings. Crowds of onlookers had gathered in the street earlier in the evening to watch the action involving 250 firefighters and paramedics.

“It was very windy last night. The burning debris was blown by us to five buildings,” Keung said. “Two of the buildings, a hotel and a commercial building, had partial balconies on fire. Fortunately, our officers on standby were able to quickly extinguish them.”

When dawn broke, the fire was not as severe as it had been a few hours earlier, but flames could still be seen on multiple floors. The building’s exterior was blackened and parts of the scaffolding looked crumbling.

People living in three buildings close to the scene had to be evacuated, police said.

A person who lived in a nearby building became frightened and sick and was taken to hospital, authorities said. Another resident near the scene also felt unwell and went to hospital, they added.

Tsim Sha Tsui is a tourist and shopping district in Kowloon known for its skyscrapers and iconic views of Victoria Harbour. (Associated Press)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)


[ad_2]

Source link

Related Articles

UAE Expatriates Reclaiming Dubai as Home, Defying Migration Trends, Resilient Return

UAE Expatriates Reclaiming Dubai as Home, Experts Reveal The UAE is experiencing a notable shift in migration patterns, as more former residents who ventured to...

Saudi Arabia Grants 6-Day Holiday for Eid Al Fitr 2024 to Public and Private Sector Employees.

Saudi Arabia Declares 6-Day Eid Al Fitr Holiday for Public and Private Sector Employees The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development in Saudi Arabia...

Apple Empowers Innovation: Acquisition of Canadian AI Start-up DarwinAI Sparks Excitement for iPhone Users

Apple Acquisition of Canadian AI Start-up DarwinAI Apple made headlines earlier this year with its acquisition of Canadian startup DarwinAI, a move that signals a...

New Zealand Condemns China for Unacceptable Hacking of Parliament

New Zealand Condemns Blatant Chinese Cyberattack on Parliament as 'Unacceptable' New Zealand's Foreign Minister, Winston Peters, minced no words as he condemned the recent cyber...

Ramadan 2024: Glorious Images of Muslims Worldwide Celebrating.

Ramadan 2024: Embracing Unity and Devotion as Muslims Worldwide Commemorate Sacred Month In the spring of 2024, the global Muslim community once again came together...

Latest Articles