The No. 3 alarm fire in Aberdeen was put out at 8.55pm on Friday, almost five hours after it started.

Officials said the blaze broke out at a shipyard on Shum Wan Road at 4.11pm, and was upgraded to a No. 3 alarm around 30 minutes later.

Firefighters pointed out that because many of the vessels under repair at the shipyard were fibreglass boats, that exacerbated the spread of the fire.

They added that the sheer size of the shipyard also made it difficult to bring the fire under control.

Over 220 firefighters and rescue workers were brought in to fight the blaze.

Four fire boat monitors, four jets and breathing apparatus teams were also deployed.

61 people had to be evacuated, but no injuries were reported.

A woman surnamed Lau, who owns a shipyard in the area, said she suffered major losses as a result of the fire.

"Of course I am very sad. How would you feel if you lost everything in less than an hour? How would you feel?"

A man surnamed Cheung, whose shipyard was unscathed, said the situation could’ve been worse if the fire broke out at night.

"The only positive thing is that the fire broke out in the afternoon. If it had been now, at night… this place wouldn't be saved in time," he said.

"At night time, everybody would have left the shipyard, and it would be too late to call the police."

Officials said they're still probing the cause of the fire.
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Last updated: 2024-12-06 HKT 22:10