Man dead, five firefighters critical after suspected suicide attempt causes gas explosion in Shek Kip Mei

Shek Kip Mei Estate (Photo: Wrightbus via Wikimedia)

Yesterday a gas explosion in a Shek Kip Mei public housing estate left nine firefighters injured and one person dead.

Five of the firefighters are in critical condition while one is in serious condition and three others are stable, reports Bloomberg.

It is suspected that the gas explosion may have been caused by the man who died, who is suspected of having committed suicide. The 56-year-old was found inside the kitchen of his flat, which is believed to be the source of the gas leak. 

His flat was on the 11th floor of Shek Kip Mei Estate’s Mei Ying House. 

According to the SCMP, the firefighters were responding to reports of the smell of gas when the explosion occured. They had just broken into the flat after knocking on the door did not elicit a response. 

The explosion was described by some residents to be “like thunder”, with the force of the blast so strong that a lift plunged downwards. 

A police source told the SCMP that the flat’s door “was sealed by Sellotape and locked from the inside”, signs that point to suicide.

The man did not have a history of mental illness. He had been living alone and was on social welfare. 

One of the firefighters in critical condition is a 29-year veteran of the Fire Services Department, according to Apple Daily. He had to undergo emergency brain surgery. 

Chief Secretary Carrie Lam visited three of the injured firefighters at two different hospitals yesterday.

She expressed her regrets over the incident, saying it is tragic when firefighters get injured on the job. She added that the government is offering aid to the victims and their families. 

Chief Executive CY Leung, who also visited injured firefighters, said that the Social Welfare Department will be setting up a support team to the estate’s affected residents.

The director of the Fire Services Department, Lai Man-hin, said that all nine firefighters were wearing proper safety equipment at the time of the explosion, reports Apple Daily.

Lai added that the department will launch a special team to conduct an investigation into the incident and the exact cause behind the gas leak, the explosion, and the injuries.