It took more than 150 firemen to put out the fire in an eight-hour ordeal at a Hong Kong mansion owned by former screen goddess Brigitte Lin Ching-hsia on July 8.
The firefighters were called in to the expansive home built on a hill on Anderson Road in the Sau Mau Ping district of Kowloon just after 12.30 am when one of the bathrooms caught fire.
Eighteen people were evacuated from the building. Smoke was seen billowing out of the building at the time although the 67-year-old actress and her family were not at home and no injuries were sustained by the staff or security guards.
The 50,000 square foot mansion features three floors and the fire had escalated to a level three emergency according to the Hong Kong Fire Services Department which spanned over 30 meters.
The property which is valued at more than HK1 billion was a gift from her billionaire businessman husband Michael Ying on her 60th birthday. He had reportedly spent $600 million HKD to build the three storey mansion, which has 12 rooms and various facilities including a temperature controlled swimming pool, private cinema, art studio, luxury gym, dance studio and rooftop tennis court.
Lin who is regarded as an icon of Chinese cinema made a name for herself during the 70s and was one of the most sought after actresses of her time.
She was born in Taipei in 1954 and has since starred in more than 100 films.
She was first spotted by a film producer in 1972 after she finished high school. She made her debut in the film adaption of Cheung Yao’s Outside the Window (1973) which propelled her to stardom.
In 1994 she married Hong Kong billionaire Michael Ying and the couple have two daughters.
She has since divorced Ying who is the former chairman and CEO of Esprit Holdings Limited.
