At around 1:30am on Saturday, a fire in Kennedy Town public housing estate Kwun Lung Lau claimed the lives of a young family of three and their neighbour, who the police suspect of having started the blaze.
Huang Zhiqiang, the 26-year old father, reportedly died from a fall from his 13th-floor unit as he tried to escape the flames. He was confirmed dead after he was found on the fourth-floor podium of the building, according to SCMP.
After the fire was put out, the 26-year old mother, Wu Qianxin, and her three-year-old daughter, Huang Yilin, were found deceased in the flat as a result of severe burns.
Hui Waichung, aged 63, had resided in the flat across from the family’s home. His body was found charred behind his main door.
Traces of accelerants were found at the entrances to both of the flats, suggesting to investigators that the fire was started deliberately. Investigators are looking into the case as possibly one of arson and murder, and suspect that Hui may have started the fire or set himself alight.
It is reported that he suffered from mental health issues and had been assigned a social worker.
Hui had reportedly made numerous police complaints about noise and arguments since moving into his home in August 2013, and had gotten into disputes with his neighbouring family.
Although they were from different villages, Wu and her husband had known each other since they were in high school. Wu, originally from Foshan, decided to stay there and keep her real estate job even when Huang and his parents moved to Hong Kong, according to Apple Daily.
However, Wu and their daughter moved to Hong Kong a week ago, and the family had been living with Huang’s brother and parents since, who were away when the fire started. The SCMP reports that the wife and three-year-old held one-way permits.
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