The death toll from a fire at an apartment complex in Hong Kong rose to 128 on Friday morning, with 200 people still missing and 79 injured, including 12 firefighters. The local government said the fire appeared to have started on a safety net on a lower floor and then spread due to the use of flammable materials. TASR informs about it according to the AFP agency.
- The number of victims of the fire in Hong Kong rose to 128 people.
- 79 people are injured, 200 people remain missing.
- The fire was caused by flammable mesh and materials on the lower floors.
- The building’s alarm systems were not working properly during the fire.
- The police detained three employees of the responsible construction company.
“Based on the preliminary information we have, we believe the fire started in the mesh installed on the lower floors … and quickly spread upward through the burning Styrofoam boards, affecting multiple floors,” said Chris Tang, head of Hong Kong’s security forces, at a press conference. “The high temperature also caused the bamboo scaffolding and safety net to catch fire. The bamboo poles that were broken by the fire fell and spread the fire to other floors,” he explained.
Fire Chief Andy Yeung previously reported that the alarm systems in all eight buildings were “not functioning properly.” “We will take enforcement action against responsible suppliers,” he said at a press conference. AFP reminds that residents of the burning building ran from door to door to warn neighbors.
The police have so far detained two directors and a technical consultant of Prestige Construction, which was contracted to maintain the buildings. The blaze broke out on Wednesday afternoon and is Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze since 1948. Firefighters said on Friday morning that they had “largely extinguished” it after 40 hours.
