Two victims of the Wang Fuk Court inferno dug through the ashes of their home, only to each discover about HK$100,000 (US$12,800) in charred banknotes, just two of many such finds as residents returned to the fire-damaged Hong Kong estate on Thursday. On the same day, several local storage companies offered free services to affected residents as a show of compassion and solidarity. Thursday marked the second day that residents of Tai Po’s Wang Tai House, one of the seven blocks severely damaged...
The blaze erupted on the eleventh floor of the Gaur Green Avenue Society at around 9 a.m., spreading to multiple flats across several floors, a fire department official said
The affected families were engaged in rag-picking and garbage segregation for their livelihood
Around 50 women were in the building at the time of the incident
Homeowners of the only block spared in the deadly Wang Fuk Court blaze in Tai Po will be included in the Hong Kong government’s resettlement plan after three-quarters indicated a preference to sell their flats to authorities, the South China Morning Post has learned. Wang Chi House, the only one of the estate’s eight blocks left unscathed by the November 26 fire that killed 168 people and displaced nearly 5,000, was originally excluded from the government’s long-term resettlement proposals...
Blaze quickly brought under control, say officials. The fire reportedly originated from a heap of waste near the parking area
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. An independent committee investigating Hong Kong’s deadly Wang Fuk Court fire will scrutinise the roles of building and home affairs authorities on the 20th day of evidential hearings. Four witnesses from the Buildings Department and the Home Affairs Department are scheduled to give evidence before the judge-led panel on Monday. The inferno broke out on...
An image of a Hong Kong construction worker smoking a cigarette while on bamboo scaffolding at a residential building has prompted outrage among internet users, who have drawn comparisons with the suspected cause of the city’s deadliest fire in decades. An image shared on a Facebook page called the Shau Kei Wan Sai Wan Ho Concern Group showed a worker smoking a cigarette while standing on scaffolding erected around what was identified as Tai On Building. A second worker in the same photo can be...
To Ian Chu, capturing one last image of the sea view from his home before it disappears was a final wish as he returned on Saturday to the scene of the deadly Hong Kong blaze to collect his belongings. Chu lived in Wang Cheong House, one of eight residential blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, where 81 of the 168 deaths occurred in the inferno that shocked the city in November. His flat faces the Tolo Harbour. “Since the renovations I have not seen the ocean, the sunlight … so I just tried to...
The incident occurred in the Neemrana area on April 24 night Superintendent of Police Satvir Singh said police recovered four charred bodies late at night and sent them for post-mortem
Hon Wing, 77, and his family climbed 19 floors to their fire-ravaged flat in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court housing estate on Tuesday but left almost empty-handed after a two-hour search for valuables. Hon, a retired part-time taxi driver, had hoped to find a bag of change he kept during his work shifts, but “nothing much was there” in his charred flat in Wang Sun House. His daughter Ice Hon wanted to retrieve items passed down from her late mother. “Dust and ruins are everywhere. It feels like the...
This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The role of Hong Kong’s fire service remains under the spotlight on the 18th day of evidential hearings held by an independent committee investigating the catastrophic blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court. Three officers from the Fire Services Department are testifying on Thursday before the judge-led panel. Four of their colleagues gave accounts the previous day...
About 600 families from Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged Wang Fuk Court have requested a second visit to their flats, authorities have said, as residents of the most severely damaged tower return to salvage their belongings. Deputy Chief Secretary for Administration Cheuk Wing-hing said on Thursday that the government would provide additional support for residents of Wang Cheong House, the hardest-hit tower where 81 of the 168 deaths in the Tai Po fire occurred. Residents are returning between April 23...
In its latest communication to the exchanges, HPCL informed that no other section of the refinery suffered any impact
Thousands of people have been displaced after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in Malaysia's Sabah state.
Thousands of people have been displaced after a fire destroyed around 1,000 homes in a coastal village in Malaysia’s Sabah state on Borneo island on Sunday, the fire department said. Authorities were notified of the fire in Sandakan district at around 1.32am, the district’s fire and rescue chief Jimmy Lagung said in a statement. “Strong winds and the close proximity of the houses caused the fire to spread rapidly, while low tide conditions also made it difficult to obtain an open water...
Sabah fire displaces 445 people as relief efforts focus on safety and immediate aid for victims in affected areas.
A huge fire tore through the floating village of Kampung Bahagia in Sabah, Malaysia, destroying more than 200 homes.
For 66-year-old Ming Lee, the only way to get back to his flat in Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court is by walking up 25 flights of stairs, after the deadly inferno at the housing estate last November destroyed seven of its eight buildings, including their lift systems. Undaunted by the physical toll required, the retiree will ascend Wang Yan House next week and bid a final farewell to his home of four decades. “I exercise regularly, but after the fire, my mood and physical condition both deteriorated,”...
Eyewitnesses captured the moment a burning fuel tanker drove through the centre of Hasakah, Syria, leaving a trail of fire behind it.
A major fire at a key refinery in Australia refinery has disrupted fuel production, raising fears of fuel shortages.
The fire has deepened fears over the nation's petrol supplies amid a global crunch.
About 380 households from Hong Kong’s fire-ravaged housing estate in Tai Po have expressed a desire for a second visit to their homes to retrieve belongings, ahead of the first session starting from April 20, an official has said. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said on Sunday that dedicated social workers had notified more than 1,730 families from seven of the eight Wang Fuk Court towers about retrieving their items between April 20 and May 4. Authorities expect 98 per cent of...
Heavy use of a joss paper burner led to a fire at a Hong Kong columbarium that sent ashes flying, injuring at least two people on Sunday. Police said that they received a report at 11.37am that a fire had broken out at Diamond Hill Columbarium. A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by an overheated exhaust fan connected to a joss paper burner, the force said. Firefighters arrived and put out the flames, which were classified as a No 1 alarm fire, the lowest in Hong Kong’s...
No casualties or injuries were reported in the incident
Around 80 firefighters and 20 fire trucks tackled the blaze, the state's military fire department said, adding that no one was hurt.
Video showed orange flames and thick black smoke pouring from “black oil” storage tanks in Nahrawan near Baghdad, Iraq.
Video shows vehicles on fire in central Israel after debris from an intercepted Iranian projectile struck Ramat Gan.