A fire broke out in a residential flat in the Horta da Mitra neighbourhood yesterday morning, injuring a male non-resident worker (NRW) who remained unconscious in hospital yesterday afternoon, the Fire Services Bureau (CB) said.
The residential neighbourhood at the bottom of Guia Hill, colloquially known in Cantonese as “Jeuk Jai Yuen” (“Little Bird Garden”), is located between the Horta da Mitra wet market and Rua Nova à Guia (東望洋新街).
According to a CB statement, the fire erupted in a flat on the second floor of the Seng Tak Building (勝德大廈) on Rua da Cal (白灰街) at around 11 a.m. yesterday. After rushing to the scene, firefighters extinguished the blaze within five minutes.
The statement noted that 15 residents evacuated the building independently, while a further five residents were rescued by firefighters from various flats within the property.
The five rescued individuals comprise four men and one woman aged between 33 and 79, consisting of one local resident and four non-local residents.
One of the five, a 39-year-old male NRW, was found unconscious and breathing weakly when rescued by firefighters. He was rushed to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for emergency treatment. Although resuscitated by medical staff, he remained unconscious in hospital yesterday afternoon. The other four rescued residents were uninjured.
Firefighters have preliminarily concluded that the fire was caused by a short circuit in a fan’s plug. The flat’s living room, measuring five metres by six metres, was completely gutted by the blaze.
The bureau deployed nine fire engines and ambulances, alongside 37 firefighters and paramedics, to the scene.
This photo taken yesterday shows the flat gutted by a fire in Seng Tak Building on Rua da Cal in the Horta da Mitra neighbourhood. – Photo courtesy of TDM
Firefighters work on Rua da Cal during their fire-fighting operation yesterday. – Photo courtesy of TDM
