More than 150 residents have been evacuated from a Hong Kong housing estate in Tsuen Wan after a fire broke out in a flat, less than 24 hours after a separate blaze in a Sham Shui Po residential block resulted in one death.

Police received a report at 2.22am on Monday that a flat on the 33rd floor of Tsuen Wan Centre’s Tai Yuan House had caught fire, with thick smoke billowing out of the building.

Firefighters broke down the door of the flat at 98 Tsuen King Circuit and rescued a 63-year-old resident, surnamed Chan.

A police source told the Post that Chan was believed to have lit a candle before going to bed and the flame accidentally ignited other items in the home.

“When she woke up, [the flat] was filled with thick smoke. Firefighters forced their way in and found her unwell in the washroom after inhaling the fumes. She was taken to Princess Margaret Hospital [in Kwai Chung],” the source said.

The fire was extinguished as more than 150 residents fled to safety on the ground floor.