Hundreds of residents were evacuated from a Tseung Kwan O public housing block early on Wednesday after burnt cooking caused a gas leak scare.
Fire services received multiple reports around 2am about white smoke emanating from low floors or the podium of Kin Wah House at Kin Ming Estate. A large contingent of firefighters, paramedics, and police rushed to the scene and immediately ordered a full evacuation of the building.
Initial investigations revealed the smoke originated from a low-floor unit where a resident had been slow-cooking beef overnight, which subsequently burnt and produced large plumes of white smoke. The smoke was initially mistaken for a gas leak.
Hundreds of residents were seen gathering at ground level as police set up a temporary command centre nearby. Firefighters conducted searches and forcibly entered two low-floor units to locate the source. No injuries were reported and the incident was deemed non-suspicious.
Residents began returning to their homes around 3am.
