Firefighters in Hong Kong are now battling a massive wildfire at a high-rise building that is under construction in the Kowloon region. As a result of the fire, some adjoining apartment complexes have been forced to evacuate their residents. Authorities said that the fire started around 11:11 p.m. (15:11 GMT) on Thursday in the heavily populated area of Tsim Sha Tsui, which is also a major retail and tourism zone near to the harbor.
As it reached the fourth degree of intensity on a scale of five, around 130 people who lived in three adjoining buildings were forced to evacuate early on Friday due to worries that the fire may spread. Burning debris could be seen floating into the air, and many storeys of the structure, as well as the scaffolding, were involved in the blaze. A few of them ended up on the ground. The authorities said that the fire was brought under control at around 8:00 am (0:00 GMT), but that firefighters were still actively combating the wildfire as of that time. The Sheraton Hong Kong Hotel & Towers was one of the six neighboring buildings that caught fire, according to the police; nevertheless, the blazes were successfully put out. Three of the neighboring buildings were among those that had to be evacuated. There were no reports of any injuries or fatalities.
The fire, which was plainly visible across the harbor in the night sky, attracted thousands of visitors who came to see it. The developer Empire Group was in the midst of a massive renovation project that was estimated to cost 764 million dollars and have a total cost of 6 billion Hong Kong dollars. The fire that broke out in the 42-story skyscraper occurred near the building’s completion.
