Chapter 816: 808 Disaster Relief Ends, Merit is Immeasurable!

10 minutes had passed since the fire started.

On the 15th floor, the flames hadn't come out yet, but the thick smoke had.

The time left for the staff and customers on the 15th floor was simply not much.

Moreover, they were not familiar with firefighting knowledge, or they didn't take it seriously at all, and were still thinking about whether to risk rushing downstairs. What was the situation downstairs? Or was it safer to stay upstairs? (PS: True description from the documentary)

Downstairs,

"Quick, quick, quick~~~"

Inside the fire command vehicle, the commander roared into the walkie-talkie.

"Group 1, perimeter alert, evacuate the crowd!"

"Vehicle 1, Vehicle 2, lay out the water hoses, prepare to suppress the fire on the 2nd floor! Aerial platform vehicle, get as close to the 15th floor as possible for me, find a rescue window!"

"Group 3..."

Over a dozen firefighters wearing heavy fireproof suits rushed upstairs.

Some rushed to the bottom floor of the building, connecting thick soft water hoses to fire hydrants, and high-pressure water columns sprayed out instantly, attempting to suppress the fire spreading upward from the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floors;

Some carried rescue equipment and ran toward the stairwell. Although the thick smoke poured down from above like a surging tide, choking people so they couldn't open their eyes, they didn't shrink back in the slightest.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu was a layman and didn't do any unauthorized command.

When he saw the sides of the road, he immediately realized there was a problem.

The location of Garley Building was at the triangular intersection (Nathan Road and Jordan Road).

Nathan Road in the north-south direction and Jordan Road in the east-west direction were 4- and 6-lane roads, although wide.

But!

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu saw many vehicles parked on the side of the road.

Looking around, there were at least 50 vehicles parked on the side of the road.

According to a Level 5 fire, more than 40 fire trucks would arrive here later.

At that time, the chaotic parking of these ordinary vehicles would definitely block the life-saving passage for the fire trucks.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu quickly dialed David's phone:

"Immediately call and notify all employees of the property division to rush to Garley Building..."

"A fire has broken out here, and we need to move all the cars parked on both sides of the road as soon as possible to clear a passage for the fire brigade."

David: "Okay, Brother Zu, I'm rushing over... I'm calling to instruct them now."

Tai Lo B, next to Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu, also said: "Add us... I'm calling those Hung Hing boys to come over now."

Soon,

Nearby Five Star property employees and Tai Lo B's Hung Hing underlings arrived one after another.

Some of the parking attendants had car keys and quickly drove the cars away.

But there were still quite a few cars without keys.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu made a decisive decision: "Who is good at stealing cars? If you can pick the lock, pick it; if you can't, just smash the window, get in, hotwire it, and drive it away!"

Many parking attendants, upon hearing this, raised their hands one after another.

"I can!"

"I can too!"

Rubbing their hands, excited.

It had been too long since they had stolen a car; now they could finally satisfy their itch.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu: "............"

Directly rendered speechless.

Good heavens, everyone is a talent, 100%!

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu didn't know whether to be happy or unhappy.

But it made sense; most of the car smuggling between Hong Kong Island and Shenzhen was done by parking attendants, so knowing a little hotwiring was a small matter.

Following Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu's order,

the parking attendant underlings excitedly picked locks, or smashed windows, opened doors, cut wires, hotwired... Boom~~~ with a step on the gas, the cars were quickly driven away.

One look and you could tell they were old hands.

Soon, the roads of Nathan Road and Jordan Road were quickly cleared!

The space suddenly opened up.

It would also become very smooth for the fire trucks to enter later.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu said to David: "Leave some people here to wait. If the car owners come looking for their cars, tell them where the cars were put, and compensate them where necessary... The others stay outside to maintain order and assist the medical and fire departments..."

David nodded: "Yes, Brother Zu!"

Not long after the cars were moved, the nearest Sham Shui Po Fire Brigade had already arrived. Because the cars had been moved away, they could smoothly enter the parking spaces and quickly joined the rescue operation.

And at this time,

"Boom~~~~"

Suddenly, on the side of the 15th-floor safety passage and elevator entrance, a tongue of fire fiercely rushed out from the thick smoke, extending 2 meters outside the window.

The tongues of fire rolled wantonly, and wherever they went, the air was scorched and twisted out of shape.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu also saw people there screaming.

It turned out that someone couldn't bear it and opened the window. As a result, once the window was opened, the fire, which had been suppressed due to a lack of oxygen, came into contact with the fresh air outside and instantly erupted.

The room, which had been shrouded in thick smoke, was instantly swallowed by the sea of fire. The flames spread wildly along the window frames and walls.

Two people were tightly wrapped by the heat wave and thick smoke, letting out desperate cries.

The crowd watching downstairs covered their mouths in horror, letting out bursts of exclamations.

Some timid ladies even closed their eyes, not daring to look at this tragic scene again.

And at this time, finally, a high-spray fire truck was set up, and it started to extinguish the fire...

But it was just a drop in the bucket.

At this time, a rescue helicopter arrived, preparing to pick up people on the 15th-floor rooftop.

However, the huge gale stirred up by the helicopter instead intensified the fire on the 15th floor, with thick smoke billowing.

The helicopter had to leave quickly!

As time passed, East Kowloon, New Territories South, Hong Kong Island District... fire trucks from various regions and divisions were like red lightning, rushing to Garley Building from different directions.

After arriving at the scene, they quickly launched rescue operations.

The pump trucks quickly deployed huge water hoses, connected them to fire hydrants, and high-pressure water columns sprayed fiercely toward the fire at the bottom of the building;

High-spray water guns aimed at the 15th floor, suppressing the fire and leaving a side of survival space for the people above.

The aerial platform vehicle extended its giant steel arm, carrying firefighters to slowly approach the 15th-floor window, attempting to open a rescue passage;

The hydraulic lift platform sent team members carrying rescue tools to a suitable height, making it convenient for them to break through the window and enter to search for trapped personnel...

But there were too many trapped people!

The fire was too fierce!

Even though Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu had directly ordered a Level 5 fire, winning at least 10-plus minutes of precious time, the 1st-3rd floors were quickly extinguished.

But for the staff and customers on the 15th floor, it was still not enough.

The elevator and corridor passages were blocked by flames, and they couldn't run away, so they could only keep moving toward the office space in the back.

At this time,

ATV and TVB's live broadcast helicopters arrived.

However, they didn't dare to get too close, but were filming from afar.

ATV live broadcast helicopter,

the camera was aimed at the big fire at Garley Building.

Le Huizhen was wearing a seatbelt, her expression solemn, and she said in a hurried tone:

"Fellow Hong Kong Island citizens, we are now interrupting to bring you a piece of breaking news..."

"Just 24 minutes ago, a big fire broke out at Garley Building, and the fire is extremely fierce. We can see that the scene is already a sea of fire, and the thick smoke is covering the sky and the sun."

"Currently, the Fire Services Department has sounded the Level 5 fire alarm and mobilized a large number of fire trucks and firefighters from various regions of Hong Kong Island to rush to the scene for rescue..."

"But the fire is spreading rapidly, and the situation is extremely critical..."

"Our live broadcast helicopter cannot get close due to the fire being too big, and can only bring you the scene footage from afar."

"The cause of the fire is not yet clear, but according to the information collected: the fire first started burning from the bottom 1st/2nd/3rd floors, but I don't know why the 15th floor suddenly caught fire..."

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu downstairs saw Le Huizhen leaning half of her body out of the helicopter, and black lines hung down from his forehead.

You, awesome!

At this time, Bai Chi Li in the building next to Garley Building realized that his car might block the fire trucks and hurried downstairs.

Then...

??

Where is my car?

With the report on TV,

the news spread like a hurricane across all of Hong Kong.

The whole city exploded.

In a high-end office building in Central, the busy work rhythm was broken by the sudden change.

A young employee answered a call, his expression suddenly changed, and then he stood up abruptly and shouted at the office:

"It's bad, a fire has broken out at Garley Building, it's the highest fire alarm level!"

The originally quiet office area instantly exploded, and everyone stopped their work one after another, showing expressions of astonishment.

"Really?"

"Highest fire alarm level?"

"ATV and TVB are broadcasting live..."

"Oh no, my niece works there!"

A 40-plus-year-old employee's expression changed drastically, and he quickly called, but couldn't get through.

This employee ran downstairs at high speed.

Other employees couldn't sit still and surged toward the lobby downstairs.

In the lobby, the TV on the wall was broadcasting the fire situation.

"Medical personnel are constantly sending away injured citizens... but due to the rapid spread of the fire, the firefighting and rescue work for the high floors, especially the 15th floor, is facing huge challenges..."

Everyone gathered in front of the TV, eyes fixed on the screen, watching the scenes of injured people being sent to ambulances or receiving treatment nearby...

Everyone had a solemn expression; some covered their mouths in surprise, some prayed in a low voice, and some couldn't bear to look.

Tsim Sha Tsui Harbour City, in the mall,

in each shop, shopping guides were enthusiastically introducing new products, and customers were either carefully selecting goods or talking softly with companions, enjoying this pleasant time.

"Fellow viewers, we are now interrupting to bring you a piece of breaking news, a Level 5 fire has broken out at Garley Building..."

The TV hanging on the pillar in the mall was originally playing a rerun of a TV drama,

then,

it switched to the emergency news screen without warning,

and the serious and urgent voice of ATV host Liang Jingren instantly spread throughout the public area.

"From the screen, we can see that firefighters are preparing to forcibly open a rescue passage to enter the interior to search for trapped personnel... However, due to the fire being too fierce, the high temperature at the scene is unbearable, and the thick smoke makes visibility extremely low, so the rescue work is facing unprecedented challenges..."

"In addition, the helicopter rescue work has encountered difficulties... and had to stop..."

The originally bustling mall instantly became quiet.

The lady who was picking out clothes stopped her movements and looked up at the TV; the man who was trying on clothes also stood up, and his gaze was attracted over; the children's originally happy laughter stopped abruptly.

Everyone covered their mouths, looking at the TV in shock.

Collectively lost their voices,

couldn't say a word.

Everyone watched with their own eyes on the TV screen as Garley Building was shrouded in thick smoke and firelight, and firefighters were shuttling through it, silently praying for the people affected by the disaster in their hearts...

At this very moment,

the big fire at Garley Building spread throughout Hong Kong Island.

In office buildings, small shops on the street, residential communities, wet markets, taxis... the entire Hong Kong Island, from the bustling commercial district to the quiet residential area, from the busy workplace to the vibrant campus, all were affected by this fire at Garley Building.

It fiercely struck every corner of this city of Hong Kong, pulling at the hearts of thousands of families.

Nearly 2 hours later...

The sun set, and the twilight was heavy.

The fire was finally extinguished.

The fire, which was originally a 21-hour disaster, was extinguished because Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu warned in advance, winning precious time, the fire brigade intervened quickly, and a large number of fire trucks and firefighters arrived.

The initial fire was contained, the spread wasn't that fast, and it didn't burn that fiercely.

Half of the internal space on the 15th floor, due to the addition of high-spray water, suppressed the spread of the big fire, leaving survival space for those staff and customers on the 15th floor.

In the original history, all the people on the entire 15th floor didn't run away.

But now, most people kept squeezing into the survival space at the tail end, and finally successfully survived and were rescued.

And at this time,

the fire brigade was cleaning up the scene, looking for the bodies of the dead.

They didn't know how many people had died either.

It needed to be checked and counted.

Director Director Director Guan Zu Zu saw citizens being sent down one after another from the 15th floor and breathed a sigh of relief.

Although he didn't know how many could survive, it also showed that his intervention had greatly improved the results of this firefighting and rescue.

Merit is immeasurable!

Evening, 19:00.

ATV and TVB news broadcast on time.

This night, all citizens of Hong Kong turned on their TVs unprecedentedly and started watching the news.

All of Hong Kong was watching!

ATV news Wen Huixin:

"Fellow viewers, we are now bringing you the latest news from the fire scene at Garley Building."

"After nearly 2 hours of arduous and strenuous fighting by the fire brigade and various departments, this raging fire was finally successfully extinguished."

"What is fortunate is that the 15th floor, where the fire was most severe, due to the timely addition of high-spray fire trucks, successfully suppressed the spread of the big fire, leaving precious survival space for the citizens. These 34 survivors in total have all been rescued..."

TVB news ***:

"The fire brigade is carefully searching for possible bodies of the dead."

"Downstairs, ambulances are flashing warning lights, drawing a period for this thrilling rescue operation that is not perfect but full of hope."

"Subsequently, we will continue to pay attention to the investigation progress and casualty statistics of this fire incident and bring you the latest reports."

All citizens of Hong Kong saw this and breathed a sigh of relief one after another.

The fire was finally over.

Tonight, they could sleep peacefully. ===== CHAPTER 817 =====