A flat in North Point, on Hong Kong Island, caught fire on Monday due to a short circuit in an electrical heater.
Oriental Daily reports that, at 12 noon, an electric heater in a flat at Hong Wan Court, in the Healthy Village neighborhood, burst into flames, emitting heavy smoke.
An 89-year-old woman, surnamed Cheung, and her domestic helper, immediately left the flat and called emergency services.
Firefighters and paramedics arrived on the scene. The elderly woman felt unwell after inhaling smoke and was sent to the hospital. The fire was put out in 11 minutes, but not before it had gutted the flat.
Apple Daily reports that the domestic worker was being blamed for “forgetting” to switch off the heater. Initial investigations by firefighters have established a short circuit as the cause of the fire.