Fire in 40-Story Building in Hong Kong Evacuates Over 1,200 People... At Least 13 Injured (Comprehensive)

All Those Trapped Rescued After About 4 Hours

[Asia Economy Reporter Ki Ha-young]A fire broke out on the 15th in a 40-story high-rise building in Hong Kong, causing about 1,260 people to evacuate and at least 13 to be injured, according to Hong Kong media reports.

At 12:37 PM local time, a fire was reported at the World Trade Center in the bustling Causeway Bay area of Hong Kong, and within 30 minutes, a fire alert level 3 was issued. Hong Kong's fire alert levels range from 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe. The World Trade Center houses offices and shopping malls.

The Hong Kong Sing Tao Daily reported that by around 4:30 PM, the fire was almost extinguished and all people trapped inside the building were rescued. The Hong Kong Ming Pao reported that at least 13 people were injured or complained of physical discomfort and were taken to hospitals, among whom one woman in her 60s was reported to be in a semi-unconscious state. It was also explained that the injured had inhaled a large amount of smoke.

The Hong Kong police stated that initial investigations found the fire started from an electrical switch in the lower-floor shopping mall area and then spread to the bamboo scaffolding surrounding the building. During this process, smoke entered the shopping center and the stairwell at the back of the building.

The building had been undergoing large-scale remodeling work, including the underground parking lot, for several months. As a result, the exterior of the building was surrounded by scaffolding. Due to the remodeling work, all stores on the lower floors were vacated, and only restaurants on floors 6 to 13 and offices on floors 14 to 38 were in operation.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.