At least 5 dead after fire tears through Hong Kong building

A fire in a large, mostly residential building in Hong Kong on Wednesday morning killed at least five people and left another 36 injured.

Some 250 residents were rescued from the New Lucky House in Hong Kong’s Jordan neighborhood and the fire was extinguished.

The fire services department said that the fire began on the first and second floors of the 16-story building, where a gym and licensed guest rooms were located. More investigation was needed into the cause of the fire, officials said.

The five who died were apparently trying to escape the building.

The New Lucky House has 200 units and was built in 1964.

Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee expressed his condolences to victims’ families and said that the relevant departments were instructed to provide assistance to all those affected by the fire.