Preliminary investigation finds fire caused by overheated exhaust fan connected to joss paper burner at Diamond Hill Columbarium, police say
1-MIN READ1-MIN ListenLeopold ChenPublished: 5:41pm, 12 Apr 2026Heavy use of a joss paper burner led to a fire at a Hong Kong columbarium that sent ashes flying, injuring at least two people on Sunday.
Police said that they received a report at 11.37am that a fire had broken out at Diamond Hill Columbarium.
A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by an overheated exhaust fan connected to a joss paper burner, the force said.
Firefighters arrived and put out the flames, which were classified as a No 1 alarm fire, the lowest in Hong Kong’s five-tier system.
The falling ashes injured a 53-year-old surnamed Wong and his 32-year-old son, who both sustained burns on their necks and backs, the force said. They were sent to Queen Elizabeth Hospital for treatment.
