White mourning candle causes house fire in Sheung Yeung Village

^{Photo: 梁國雄/on.cc}

A fire broke out in Sheung Yeung Village, Sai Kung this morning (30/11) around 3:00 am when a piece of furniture caught fire in front of a village house. The flames spread to a group of electrical boxes, an air conditioner was burned to the ground, and the wall of the village house was blackened. The female head of the household tried to put out the fire, but failed. Her hands were burned, so she called the police for help.

After receiving the report, the fire fighters arrived at the scene and put out the fire quickly. The ambulance crew provided preliminary treatment to the victim, and she did not need to be sent to the hospital.

During the incident, 16 neighbouring residents were evacuated; the Fire Services Department believed that the cause of the fire was not suspicious.

It is reported that the woman’s brother passed away earlier, so she lit a white candle outside the door. It is suspected that the flames set a sofa alight outside the front door and caused the fire.