Two cats were killed and a domestic helper hospitalised after a fire broke out at a village home in Hong Kong's Tai Po district on Monday, with investigators suspecting a faulty pet water dispenser or its charger triggered the blaze.
The fire started at around 11.20am at a third-floor flat in Wong Yi Au Tsuen. A 47-year-old Indonesian helper, who had been hanging laundry on the rooftop when the fire broke out, was rescued by firefighters and taken to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital after inhaling smoke.
Firefighters also rescued two cats from the flat and attempted to resuscitate them at the scene, but both were later confirmed dead. The owner returned to find her pets had died and was seen in tears.
The fire spread quickly, with dense black smoke billowing from the flat, witnesses told local media. A man whose brother owned the flat and another villager, believed to be an off-duty firefighter, rushed to the scene and tried to contain the blaze with handheld extinguishers before firefighters arrived, he told The Standard in Hong Kong.
They guided the helper away from the smoke-filled doorway and sprayed her with water until emergency services arrived. The fire was extinguished around 11.40am.
Investigators suspect the blaze was triggered by an electrical fault, such as a short circuit or overheating, linked to a pet water dispenser or its charger. Police and fire officers are investigating.
The incident reflects a broader trend in Hong Kong, where cat ownership has grown faster than any other form of pet ownership as residents adapt to the city's famously cramped living conditions. The city has an estimated 180,000 pet cats, with numbers rising significantly faster than dog ownership.
Hong Kong's pet economy now exceeds HK$6bn (£580m) annually, with owners increasingly treating animals as family members rather than companions. The proliferation of pet gadgets like automatic feeders, water dispensers, smart cameras and charging devices left running while owners are out has raised concerns about the fire risk posed by electrical faults in densely packed residential buildings.
The fire comes months after the deadly blaze at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po in November 2025, in which animal welfare workers with oxygenated pet carriers searched the wreckage for cats and dogs left behind by residents who fled.