KATHMANDU: A fire broke out on Monday at a waste-to-energy plant located on an artificial island near Shek Kwu Chau, Hong Kong. Authorities evacuated 930 people from the site, and one employee was hospitalised due to heat-related illness. The blaze started at the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase 1 (I-PARK 1) at 12:43 p.m.
The Fire Services Department upgraded the incident to a ‘number 3’ alarm level at 1:24 p.m. Hong Kong operates a five-tier disaster warning system. Two firefighting teams were deployed to combat the flames. The department reported that the fire was partially under control by 3:47 p.m. and was mostly extinguished by 4:45 p.m.
The injured employee was transported to Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital in Chai Wan. The fire occurred in a 14-storey building under construction, which was being used to store building materials. Preliminary investigations suggest the fire originated on the roof before spreading to lower floors. Police are conducting a detailed investigation into the cause of the incident.
I-PARK 1 is Hong Kong’s first large-scale waste-to-energy facility. Built on a 12-hectare artificial island, the plant has a daily processing capacity of 3,000 tonnes of waste. The project, which cost 31.3 billion Hong Kong dollars, began operations last December. It was established as part of the Hong Kong government’s strategy to eliminate reliance on landfills by 2035.
