Firefighters on Wednesday said they have entered the basement of a construction site in Hung Shui Kiu to "proactively" put out a blaze that has lasted over 29 hours.

Speaking to reporters at around 6.30pm, Lee Koon-yau, Assistant Director (New Territories North) at the Fire Services Department, said they have deployed firefighting robots to aid their efforts but they are still not sure when the blaze can be put out.

“The size of the fire is very large, and the scaffolding is set up like a maze, with large amounts of wood and steel," Lee said.

"Plus the temperature is high, and heavy smoke adds to the difficulty," he added.

Meanwhile, the Housing Authority has said there are no immediate signs that two cranes at the site on Hung Nga Road in Tin Shui Wai might collapse.

More than 390 firefighters have been deployed so far to combat the fire, which forced 150 workers to flee the site on Tuesday afternoon.

A group of workers at a nearby construction site said they also had to leave their workplace, as they heard something explode.

“The smoke’s very bad, like a fog and a dust storm. That’s when I knew the construction site next to us was in big trouble,” said a worker surnamed Wong.

A woman living in a building near the scene said she could smell heavy smoke from her flat on the seventh floor.

“I was a little afraid because the fire’s so close to my home. But luckily no one was hurt,” she said.
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Last updated: 2024-04-10 HKT 19:52