HONG KONG — A fire broke out at the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase I on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau at 12:43 pm Monday, prompting authorities to escalate the response to a No 3 alarm about 40 minutes later.

The blaze was upgraded to a No. 3 alarm at 1:24 pm, roughly 41 minutes after the Fire Services Department received the initial report.

According to a government statement issued at 2:09 pm, firefighters were battling the flames with two fire hoses and had mobilized two breathing apparatus teams. No casualties had been reported.

Thick black smoke billowed into the sky over the island, located south of Lantau Island, according to local media reports.

Some 1,000 workers at the facility were evacuated from the island by boat, reports Wen Wei Po.