Boy, 13, rescued after climbing onto air-conditioning unit to escape fire in flat

Hong Kong firefighters have rescued a 13-year-old boy who climbed out a window onto the air-conditioning unit to escape a fire that broke out in his flat, while his mother has been arrested on suspicion of child neglect.

Police received reports at 7.54pm on Wednesday that a fire had broken out in a flat at Tsui To House, one of the blocks of Tsui Ping (North) Estate in Kwun Tong.

Online footage showed the boy, wearing only his underwear, climbing out of a window and onto the condenser unit as thick black smoke filled the flat.

Firefighters deployed a ladder to reach the boy and pulled him to safety. Around 70 residents were evacuated. The blaze was extinguished at about 8.25pm.

The boy, who was suspected to be ill from smoke inhalation, was taken to United Christian Hospital in Kwun Tong for treatment.

A preliminary investigation found the fire was caused by a charger in the living room, and police said the incident was not suspicious.

Officers later believed the boy had been left home alone. His 42-year-old mother, surnamed Ho, was arrested for ill-treatment or neglect of a child or young person under her care and detained for investigation.

The case is being handled by the Kwun Tong district criminal investigation unit.