Hundreds of Junks Burn in Hong Kong
Fire fueled by exploding gas jars raged through a crowded harbor before dawn Friday, damaging hundreds of closely packed Chinese junks and leaving more than 1,000 people homeless, officials said.
Two people were reported injured in the blaze, a 17-year-old male who was treated at a hospital and released and an 83-year-old woman who was hospitalized in fair condition.
“It seems incredible that so few people were hurt,” said one witness. “When I saw the fire at about 5:30 a.m., half the harbor seemed to be alight.”
Several thousand poor people live aboard the fishing junks, which cluster in the densely packed Aberdeen typhoon shelter on the south side of Hong Kong Island facing the South China Sea.
Officials said 120 of the vessels were severely damaged and many others suffered less serious damage as strong winds swept the fire across the harbor from boat to boat. The fire was also fueled by explosions of bottled gas stored aboard the junks for cooking, a fire department spokesman said.
He said the strong winds complicated control efforts, as did congestion as fleeing junks got in the way of approaching fireboats.
The cause of the fire was under investigation.
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