Hong Kong man, 79, in critical condition after Mid-Autumn Festival lantern sparks blaze in flat
Victim suffers hand injuries and smoke inhalation while his wife, 80, sustains burns to right arm and leg
An elderly Hong Kong man was fighting for his life while his wife received treatment for burns after a lantern burst into flames while they were celebrating the Mid-Autumn Festival at home in the early hours of Tuesday.
The blaze spread through their 15th-floor flat in the 40-year-old Hiu Wah Building on Hiu Kwong Street in Sau Mau Ping soon after 1am.
“Initial information showed a lantern caught fire in the unit, and the couple were injured while battling the blaze,” a spokesman said.
Emergency personnel were dispatched to the scene after a neighbour in the 31-storey building called police at 1.07am.
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The couple had extinguished the flames by the time firefighters arrived, the police spokesman said.
The 79-year-old man suffered from hand injuries and smoke inhalation while his wife, 80, sustained burns to her right arm and leg. They were conscious as they were carried away on stretchers and taken to an ambulance.