CO129-614-1 Commission of Inquiry into fire at West Point- report 26-5-1949 - 22-12-1949 — Page 34

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scavenging lane and climbing over the iron grille at its entrance. arca must have been on fire at a very early stage as some burnt bodies were found on the stops, and these bodies were probably those of persons who were unable to get through the locked wooden door. This door rust have been in some way burnt through shortly afterwards, as a few people later escaped through it.

29. All Ambulances of the Fire Brigade and of the Medical Department and Tung Wah Hospitals were mobilised rapidly at the scene of the fire and casualties were removed to the Queen Mary Hospital. The ambulance service appears to have worked well.

30. Rescue operations were concluded at about 0845, possibly a little earlier, The Fire Brigade were then able to devote their full attention to fighting the fire itself and preventing its spreading to adjoining property,

Casualties;

31. 155 persons were reported missing after the fire, and a further 18 died in hospitals of burns or shock, making a total of 173 casualties. Of the 119 bodies removed to the mortuary, only 23 could be identified as those of missing persons: Bodies of 36 persons were therefore never recovered. We were concerned to find out whether beyond reasonable doubt all the persons reported as missing had in fact died in the fire. Evid- ence from Dr. D.W. Gould of the Hong Kong University, and late Police Medical Officer, indicated that the fire was sufficiently intense comple- tely to inginerute a body. Coupled with the fact that there was on the staircase between Nos. 367 and 365 a considerable quantity of ash and bone fragments and that about 25 of the bodies unrecovered are likely to have been those of young children, we are satisfied that all those reported as missing died in the fire.

32. The

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My Soulure of the fire was the enormous

heat that was generated and the amazing rapidity with which it ignited either partially or entirely a building divided by party walls into nine separate tenements. It was undoubtedly this great heat and the rapid ex-

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