About 200 people were evacuated after a fire broke out in an apartment in a Ma On Shan public housing estate in Hong Kong’s New Territories on Wednesday.
At 10am, some residents in Yiu On Estate found heavy smoke and a blaze coming out of the window of an upper-level apartment of Yiu Him House in Yiu On Estate, news website HK01.com reported.
Firefighters evacuated residents to an open area, and during the fire one air-conditioner in the burning apartment fell to the ground. No injuries were reported.
Firefighters managed to break into the apartment and put out the blaze after about 30 minutes. Fortunately, no one was inside the apartment, which was gutted by the fire. The incident also caused damage to the exterior wall of the building.
After an initial investigation, the firemen believed that the fire started because of a short-circuit in a fish tank. The 60-year-old female tenant later returned home to assist the investigation.