Scores Evacuated as Fire Erupts in Hong Kong Skyscraper

Reuters

11:06 JST, March 3, 2023

HONG KONG (Reuters) — Around 130 people were evacuated from a Hong Kong shopping area after a fire broke out in a skyscraper late on Thursday night, police said, though no casualties were reported.

Firefighters battled the blaze at a redevelopment project in the Tsim Sha Tsui district throughout the early hours of Friday, the flames visible from the other side of Victoria Harbour.

Several upper floors of the building were engulfed in fire, according to Reuters witnesses, and blazing falling debris sparked smaller fires in adjacent structures.

Police said the cause of the fire is currently unknown.

The building is a 42-story project by the Empire Group to house the city’s Mariners Club and a hotel, according to the company’s website.

The Mariners Club opened in 1967 to provide affordable accommodation to seafarers, and was popular among maritime workers passing through Hong Kong.

The Empire Group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.