Cathay business lounge at Hong Kong airport forced to close after fire, evacuations

Hong Kong flag carrier Cathay Pacific Airway’s business lounge, The Pier, has been forced to close for urgent repairs after a fire broke out on Saturday and triggered the evacuation of more than 250 people.

The airline said the blaze broke out at its supporting facilities on Saturday morning and staff on duty immediately alerted firefighters.

The lounge is the carrier’s largest premium facility at the airport, serving thousands of passengers each day.

Police said they received a report of smoke coming from an electrical meter room at the lounge at 9.55am, with 252 people – 52 staff and 200 passengers – evacuated from the scene. No injuries were reported.

“An initial investigation suspected that a short circuit was involved, which was deemed to be not suspicious,” a police spokesman said.