A 78-year-old man died after a fire broke out at a public housing unit in Lai King on Wednesday.

Fire services were alerted to the blaze at the Kai Him Lau flat in Cho Yiu Chuen around 12.40pm.

The fire was put out shortly after firefighters arrived.

The man was found dead inside the fire-ravaged flat.

No other people were reported injured.

Around 50 residents evacuated the building on their own.

At a press briefing, assistant divisional officer Li Kai-chung said the cause of the fire was not believed to be suspicious.

“According to the deceased’s family, he had experienced mobility impairment in recent days and had a habit of burning mugwort," he said.

"Some burnt mugwort was also found at the scene. Therefore, we believe the fire was related to the burning of the mugwort.”

Li said the alarm system and other fire-safety equipment in the building had been functioning properly.

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Last updated: 2026-01-14 HKT 17:36