A South Asian man was found deceased in an iron sheet house in Yuen Long, nearly three months following a devastating fire that occurred on the first day of the Lunar New Year.
The grim discovery was made around 2pm on Monday when four workers were clearing the site at Tai Tao Tsuen, which is being prepared for renovation and re-leasing by a new tenant.
Upon uncovering the charred remains, the workers immediately alerted the police, who then cordoned off the area to conduct an investigation.
The body was severely burned, complicating the identification process. However, it was eventually confirmed to be that of a 59-year-old man of South Asian descent, believed to be a former tenant who tragically perished in the fire.
The fire, which took place on January 29 at 11.19pm, is suspected to have been caused by an electrical short circuit. It affected multiple shacks in the area, though initially, no casualties were reported.
At the time of the fire, the site contained several tin shacks housing over ten residents, primarily from the South Asian community.
After the fire, the remaining tenants vacated the premises, and the property was recently leased to an individual planning to sublet it post-refurbishment.
The Fire Services Department stated that on the night of the fire, ten fire engines and an ambulance were dispatched to the scene. The fire was extinguished by 11.55pm. Despite deploying a search and rescue team, no victims were discovered during the initial response.
(Prashan Limbu)
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