Post by : Rameen Ariff

At least 128 people have died in one of Hong Kong’s most devastating fires in decades, after a blaze swept through Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, a residential complex in the city’s hilly New Territories, on Wednesday. The tragedy has sparked widespread shock and mourning across the city.

Adding to the tragedy, a video that went viral on social media suggested that the fire may have been caused by a cigarette. The clip, shared by RT India, appeared to show workers smoking near the outer walls of Wang Fuk Court just moments before the fire broke out. Authorities, however, have not confirmed this claim, and the official cause of the fire remains under investigation.

The scale of the destruction has renewed safety concerns about Hong Kong’s long-standing use of bamboo scaffolding. Many residents and experts have questioned whether the traditional bamboo frames contributed to the rapid spread of the flames. Despite being a rare holdover from centuries-old construction practices in Asia, bamboo scaffolding remains widely used across the city, particularly in ongoing renovation projects.

At Wang Fuk Court, all eight residential towers were wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green protective netting as part of extensive renovations that began last year. When the fire ignited on Wednesday afternoon, the dry bamboo and mesh acted as a conduit, allowing flames to climb quickly up the buildings. The Hong Kong government reported that falling pieces of bamboo had worsened the spread of the fire, highlighting the urgent need to replace bamboo scaffolding with safer metal alternatives.

Preliminary investigations indicate that the fire began in the protective netting on the lower floors of one building before rapidly moving upwards. Security chief Chris Tang said the flames were further fuelled by highly flammable foam boards used in the renovation.

In response to the disaster, authorities have arrested eight individuals, including seven men and one woman aged between 40 and 63, connected to the renovation project. Those detained include scaffolding subcontractors, project managers, and directors of an engineering consultancy, the Independent Commission Against Corruption said in a statement.

The Wang Fuk Court fire has once again raised questions about building safety regulations in Hong Kong, especially regarding the continued use of bamboo scaffolding in densely populated residential areas. Residents and officials are calling for stricter safety standards to prevent future tragedies.

As the city mourns the victims of this horrific fire, officials are under pressure to provide clarity on the incident’s cause and to ensure stricter safety measures are implemented across all ongoing construction projects in Hong Kong.

#Global News #Asia News