Firefighters fight fire in Hong Kong shopping district
HONG KONG (AP) — The Hong Kong Fire Department on Friday battled a blaze that broke out at a construction site in the city’s popular shopping district.
The fire broke out around 11 p.m. Thursday night at the site of The Mariners’ Club redevelopment project in the densely populated Tsim Sha Tsui district. Several floors of the structure – including scaffolding – were on fire and burning debris floated in the air. No casualties have been reported.
The Empire Group’s redevelopment plan was to build a 42-story architectural landmark to house the historic club and a new hotel, the website said.
The site is surrounded by a shopping mall, several hotels and some residential and commercial buildings.
Residents of a residential building near the crime scene had to be evacuated, police said, but authorities have not said how many people were affected.
Police said four neighboring buildings were also on fire, but those fires were extinguished.
Tsim Sha Tsui is a tourist and shopping area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is known for its skyscrapers and an iconic view of the city’s Victoria Harbour.