The fire at a Ngau Tau Kok storage facility which claimed the lives of two firemen was finally extinguished on Saturday evening, 108 hours and 16 minutes after it was ignited.
Following inspection, police officers found cylinders of compressed gas and “dangerous, inflammable goods” at the site, according to the SCMP.
So far, it isn’t clear how the fire started, although a police spokesperson said initial investigations and surveillance footage do not point towards arson.
The blaze, which is Hong Kong’s longest-running fire in over 20 years, has triggered discussion in the city over the need for more stringent regulations in similar storage facilities, as well as the need for sprinkler systems in older buildings.
The fire began at 10:59am on Tuesday and raged on until 11:15pm on Saturday. It broke out on the third floor of Amoycan Industrial Centre and spread to the fourth and fifth floors over the course of the next few days.
Over 190 fire services and first aid personnel, 35 fire engines, and two ambulances were deployed to fight the fire.
Out of 12 firefighters who required hospitalisation, one senior station officer and one senior fireman tragically did not survive.
Related articles:
Fireman, 30, dies after fighting blaze in Ngau Tau Kok storage unit, 4 others hospitalised
Ngau Tau Kok fire blazes for 3rd day, double decker buses on standby in case of emergency evacuation
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