The Judiciary Police (PJ) said Wednesday that small fires that broke out in four different areas at the Macau checkpoint building and cross-border bus stop for the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB) were suspicious and would be investigated as suspected arson cases
The Judiciary Police said in a statement in the late afternoon that the Fire Services Bureau (CB) notified them at 2 p.m. yesterday of four suspicious fires at the checkpoint, officially known as “Macau Port”.
According to the PJ statement, at 1 p.m. yesterday a cleaner saw that a rubbish bin was on fire in one of the cubicles in the men’s toilets at the cross-border checkpoint before the arrival hall area. Immediately after putting out the fire there, cleaning staff noticed a fire in the disabled toilets opposite, where a rubbish bin was also ablaze. Both the cleaning and security staff helped extinguish that fire.
At 1:10 p.m., security staff received a report from travellers that a bin near the bus stop for the cross-border bus was on fire, and staff had to use fire extinguishers to put it out.
Then at 1.45 p.m., a cleaner saw that a bin underneath the sink in the men’s toilets located in the arrival hall was on fire, which was immediately put out.
The Judiciary Police said in a statement that none of the four incidents had caused any injuries or discomfort that would have required admission to hospital, but from the initial investigation, the fires were suspicious and the police had launched an investigation.
The incidents are the first of their kind since the opening of the bridge in October.
The Judiciary Police told reporters late last night that a press conference about the case would be held this morning, “involving a male suspect from Hong Kong”.
