A Hong Kong woman accidentally set fire to her flat with a blowtorch on Friday morning, with the resulting blaze injuring herself and two others, as well as killing a cat.
The blaze erupted at Tung Chung’s Yu Tai Court on Lantau Island at around 6.22am.
Police said they initially received a call from the flat’s tenant, a 58-year-old woman surnamed Suen, who said her kitchen hob had caught fire.
But a preliminary investigation found the woman had been cooking with a blowtorch and accidentally set fire to the place, the force said.
The Fire Services Department said she suffered second-degree burns across her body and was rushed to Princess Margaret Hospital in Lai Chi Kok for treatment.
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Two other female residents, aged 65 and 80, were being treated at North Lantau Hospital for smoke inhalation, with all three conscious, the department added.
Emergency personnel also found four cats in the flat during the operation.
Police said one of the felines had died, while the other three were being treated by the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
About 150 people were evacuated from the building before the fire was extinguished shortly after 7am.
Police said the case was still under investigation.
