Attempted burglary and suspected arson occurred in Mong Kok.
At about 4 in the morning, the police received a report stating that someone attempted to pry the door on the 8th floor of a tenement building at 288-290 Portland Street to suspect a burglary.
A few minutes later, the authorities received another report stating that a fire broke out at the rooftop of the building on the 9th floor and a lot of smoke was emitted.
The firefighter rushed to the scene in response to the report and assisted about 50 residents to evacuate to a safe place. During this period, a steel ladder was erected and water was fired at the rooftop house on fire. The fire was soon put out, and no one was injured in the incident.
The fire department is investigating the incident and initially does not rule out that the cause of the fire is suspicious; the police are now understanding whether the fire alarm is related to the incident of breaking the door.
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The suspected householder, Ms. Huang, who was about 60 years old, was also evacuated to the ground.
She told reporters that when the incident happened, she had just woke up and was sitting in the living room watching TV.
During the period, it was discovered that someone was "making a building door" and interfered with the lock of the iron gate for 5 minutes: "You pull it up and pull it down... I'm shocked, don't you dare to open the door and watch." She recalled, when suspicious. Less than 5 minutes after the person left, heavy smoke broke into the unit. When she opened the door, she found that the unauthorized building on the 9th floor upstairs was flashing, suspected to be a fire, and the corridor was filled with a lot of smoke, and she could not escape with her son. Close the door and wait for help: "It was shocked!" Finally, the mother and son were rescued by the firefighters and brought to a safe place on the ground. There was no danger.
Ms. Huang, the female householder suspected of being pried, still has lingering fears.
(Photo by Zhang Jiahao)
Ms. Huang continued, the Shangzhi Building originally had a large gate, but a few years ago, the "middle gate opened wide" for no reason, and a lot of people were waiting to go to the rooftop.
She pointed out that the rooftop structure was unauthorized. It was uninhabited five years ago and was ready to be demolished, but it has not yet been completed. It is suspected to be a hiding place for "dao friends".
She also said that she and her son had rented the address for many years and had no grievances with others. She did not know why they were disturbed by the gates, and did not rule out the unsuccessful attempts of burglaries.
01News