Wednesday's edition of Good Morning Britain was abruptly interrupted when presenter Susanna Reid broke away from a scheduled discussion to deliver urgent news about a significant fire in Hong Kong.
Live Broadcast Interrupted by Breaking News
During a segment discussing the forthcoming Autumn budget with political commentators Kevin Maguire and Andrew Pierce, Susanna Reid cut into the conversation with what she described as "awful" news. The programme immediately switched to live footage from Hong Kong, showing a residential building engulfed in flames.
Susanna told viewers: "We've got some news coming out of Hong Kong, which is a fire engulfing a residential building. Wow, goodness me. These are live pictures. Bring back awful memories, don't they?"
The fire was located in Hong Kong's northern Tai Po district at Wang Fuk Court, a housing estate comprising eight blocks containing nearly 2,000 homes. Emergency services were shown battling to control the blaze as thick grey smoke billowed from the building.
Emergency Response and Casualties
Broadcasting live footage from public service channel RTHK, Susanna Reid informed ITV audiences that police sources had confirmed at least one man had sustained serious burns. According to later reports from the South China Morning Post, the situation had developed further with two people suffering serious burns, one firefighter injured, and multiple residents still trapped within the building.
The presence of bamboo scaffolding on multiple towers surrounding the burning building was noted as a particular concern for firefighters working to contain the blaze and rescue those trapped inside.
Painful Echoes of Grenfell Tragedy
The dramatic footage prompted immediate comparisons to the Grenfell Tower disaster in London. Susanna Reid observed: "High-rise buildings and fires, my goodness me. I mean, that just brings back awful memories, doesn't it? When we were reporting live from this programme on the Grenfell tragedy."
Andrew Pierce provided context for viewers, noting that the Grenfell Tower is currently being dismantled in a process expected to take two years. Kevin Maguire added further commentary, drawing parallels between the current situation and both Grenfell and the World Trade Centre collapse, emphasising the importance of proper building exits and window fittings to prevent fire spread.
The breaking news segment concluded with presenters and commentators expressing hope that the building's safety features would prove more effective than those at Grenfell, where external cladding contributed to the rapid spread of flames.
Good Morning Britain is available to watch on ITVX for those who missed the live broadcast.
