Police looking into Pat Sin Leng hoax fire alarm

Police are investigating a case of "causing wasteful employment of police" after they received reports on Thursday (Oct 9) claiming that 25 students and teachers were trapped in a hill fire at Pat Sin Leng, but the alert was later confirmed to be a false alarm after rescue personnel arrived at the scene. No arrests have been made so far.

Authorities said they received three calls at around 1.47pm from an individual reporting that 21 students and four teachers were caught in a blaze while hiking in the hills opposite Bride's Pool Road.

Firefighters and rescue teams were immediately dispatched with equipment, while the Government Flying Service was also deployed to conduct an aerial search.

However, upon arrival, no fire was found in the area. 

A criminal investigation is underway to locate the individual responsible for making the false report and to determine the motive behind it.

The report was highly alarming due to a past tragedy in 1996, when 49 students from HKCWC Fung Yiu King Memorial Secondary School were led by five teachers during a trip to Pat Sin Leng.

The group was trapped in a quickly spreading wildfire, which resulted in the deaths of two teachers and three students, with a further 13 injured. It is considered one of the deadliest wildfires in Hong Kong's history.

(Updated at 10.21pm)