15 Die in Suspicious Fire at Karaoke Bar

A fire swept through a karaoke bar in Hong Kong, killing 15 people in the second serious blaze to hit the British colony in three months. At least 14 people were injured in the fire, which authorities suspect was set by arsonists. The fire broke out at 4 a.m. in a densely populated area of Kowloon and was put out about 90 minutes later, the government said. People on floors above the street-level nightclub were rescued by firefighters. Ambulances rushed 29 people to hospitals; 15 of them died, the government said. In November, Hong Kong’s worst fire in nearly 40 years killed 39 people and injured 81, also in Kowloon. That fire was said to have been accidental.