Firefighters battle blaze in Hong Kong shopping district

Hong Kong firefighters battled a blaze early Friday that broke out at a construction site in the citys popular shopping district.The fire erupted at the site of The Mariners Club redevelopment project in the densely populated Tsim Sha Tsui district at about 11 pm on Thursday night. It is famous for its skyscrapers and an iconic view of the citys Victoria Harbour.

Hong Kong firefighters battled a blaze early Friday that broke out at a construction site in the city's popular shopping district.

The fire erupted at the site of The Mariners' Club redevelopment project in the densely populated Tsim Sha Tsui district at about 11 pm on Thursday night. Multiple floors of the structure — including scaffolding — were on fire, and burning debris floated in the air. No casualties have been reported.

The redevelopment plan by the Empire Group was to build a 42-story architectural landmark to house the historic club and a new hotel, its website said.

The site is surrounded by a shopping centre, several hotels and some residential and commercial buildings.

Residents at a residential building close to the scene had to be evacuated, police said, but authorities have not said how many people were affected.

Police said four adjacent buildings also caught on fire, but those blazes were extinguished.

Tsim Sha Tsui is a tourist and shopping area in Kowloon, Hong Kong. It is famous for its skyscrapers and an iconic view of the city's Victoria Harbour.