2 women climb out of window to flee Hong Kong building fire that injured 3 others
Dramatic escape caught on video as residents climb pipes and AC units to flee blaze.
A residential fire in Hong Kong's North Point district turned into a dramatic rescue scene on Sunday, March 22nd, 2026. The blaze erupted in a flat at the Yen Dack Building on Chun Yeung Street, reportedly occupied by a Tanzanian father and his eight-year-old daughter. Police stated the fire was accidentally ignited by a lighter setting household items ablaze. As thick smoke billowed from a high-floor unit, two women were forced into a perilous escape, climbing out of a window and descending the building's exterior by gripping water pipes and stepping onto air-conditioner units to reach safety on a lower floor, a scene that startled onlookers below.
Emergency services responded to multiple reports at 5:28 pm. Firefighters deployed a water jet and a breathing apparatus team, managing to extinguish the blaze by 6:19 pm. The incident resulted in three individuals—two women and a man aged between 58 and 78—being taken conscious to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital for smoke inhalation. Approximately 20 people were evacuated from the building during the emergency, with police and firefighters assisting elderly tenants. The cause of the fire remains under official investigation.
- Two women performed an exterior escape by climbing water pipes and AC units after a fire broke out in their Hong Kong high-rise.
- The fire, accidentally started by a lighter, injured three people via smoke inhalation and led to the evacuation of about 20 residents.
- Firefighters contained the blaze at the Yen Dack Building in North Point within approximately one hour of the 5:28 pm alarm.
Why It Matters
Highlights critical fire safety and evacuation challenges in dense urban high-rises, where conventional escape routes can become impassable.