An exterior wall of a shopping centre in Hong Kong’s Causeway Bay caught fire during the lunch hour on Tuesday.
Multiple videos circulating online show the artificial plants lining the wall of Lee Theatre Plaza – opposite Times Square and running from the ground to the third floor – were engulfed in flames.
Police said they received multiple reports that a billboard in Causeway Bay had caught fire at 12.53pm. The Fire Services Department deployed a water jet and rescue team equipped with breathing apparatus to the scene.
Multi-storey wall at Lee Theatre Plaza catches fire
Multi-storey wall at Lee Theatre Plaza catches fire
At least seven fire engines and a dozen firefighters were sent to the scene on Matheson Street. Firefighters were seen directing strong jets of water towards the top left corner of the Uniqlo billboard outside the building.
The plumes of smoke also drew crowds of curious onlookers out on their lunch break to gather across the road.
Firefighters used strong streams of water to extinguish the fire. Photo: Jelly Tse
The pungent smell of burnt plastic filled the streets surrounding Lee Theatre Plaza, as well as inside the building.
