How bamboo scaffolding may have contributed to fire in Hong Kong

It was around 2:51 pm on a sunny Wednesday afternoon when the first flames were seen rising through the bamboo scaffolding and green netting surrounding Wang Cheong House, a 31-story building in northeastern Hong Kong.

Within hours, the fire jumped from block to block in the seaside residential complex in Tai Po district, driven by continental winds bringing cool, dry air. Soon, seven of the eight towers — which together contained about 2,000 apartments housing approximately 5,000 people — were in flames as dark smoke darkened the sky.

Residents rushed out of the buildings known as Wang Fuk Court, surprised by how quickly the fire spread. With no alarms ringing, some received calls from relatives in other regions, warning them to evacuate quickly. Others rushed back to the scene after hearing the news from friends. Many elderly people in wheelchairs struggled to escape.

Resident Peter Leung, 71, managed to return to the area shortly before 4pm and found the complex in flames, although his apartment, on the 28th floor, was in the only building that did not burn down.

“It was horrible — I’ve lived this long and I’ve never been so scared in my life,” said Leung, now retired. “I’m heartbroken. The image is impossible to erase from my mind.”

Rescue efforts

As hundreds of firefighters began battling the blaze to contain it, residents trapped in the buildings made desperate calls to emergency services. Others begged for their animals to be rescued. However, the intense heat prevented rescuers from entering some buildings as the flames continued to advance upwards.

At 6:22 pm, the government raised the fire alert to maximum level 5 for the first time in 17 years. The flames burned relentlessly throughout the night, consuming floor after floor. By Thursday afternoon, after about 24 hours of fighting, firefighters had most of the fire under control and rescue efforts were continuing.

The spread of the fire was unprecedented in a city that has by far the most skyscrapers in the world. The death toll currently stands at 55, including one firefighter. More than 70 people are hospitalized. It is unclear how many are still missing. Authorities previously said some 279 people were missing, raising fears the death toll could be much higher.

As police cordoned off the area, residents and family members watched the smoldering buildings and sought news of their loved ones. Rescuers were still able to find survivors, raising hopes that others could be found alive.

Residents arrested

Ms Fong, 40, said it was at 8pm on Wednesday that she was last able to speak to her 70-year-old mother, who was hiding with her 50-year-old neighbor in a bathroom on the 27th floor.

“Her condition was already getting worse — she told me she was getting dizzy and confused,” Fong said. Your mother didn’t take the phone with you when she left the apartment. At midnight, the neighbor’s phone ran out of battery and contact was completely lost.

“I don’t know how my mother is now,” she said. “They haven’t reached our floor yet.”

Chong Wai-man, 75, heard his neighbors shouting “fire” at around 3pm, before his building was engulfed in flames. He and his wife immediately left the apartment and walked down 15 floors to safety.

“I was so in shock that I didn’t even feel tired,” he said, adding that they spent the night with one of their children who lives nearby.

Cause of the fire

The cause of the fire has not yet been identified, but authorities are questioning the safety standards used in the building renovation project. Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company.

“Police have reason to believe that those responsible for the company were seriously negligent, which led to the incident and caused the fire to spread quickly, resulting in serious fatalities,” Senior Superintendent Eileen Chung said at a press conference.

Hong Kong requires the use of flame-retardant protective nets and other materials on scaffolding to prevent the spread of fires.

“The protective nets, fire-resistant fabrics and plastic sheeting on the exterior of the building burned much more intensely and spread much more quickly than compliant materials normally would,” said Security Secretary Chris Tang. He added that this was “unusual”.

The deadly fire is one of the biggest challenges facing Chief Executive John Lee since taking office in 2022. Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for all-out efforts to minimize the impacts of the disaster, which comes just days before legislative elections heavily promoted by authorities.

Lee said the government had suspended all voting-related advertising to focus on the fire, but did not respond directly when asked whether the election would be postponed. The vote is only the second since the legislature was reshuffled following the 2019 protests and Beijing’s imposition of the national security law, which effectively banned anyone who was not considered a “patriot.”

Bamboo Scaffolding

The role of bamboo scaffolding in the fire is also likely to come under scrutiny. Although the government announced in March that half of all new public works should use metal scaffolding, a senior official told lawmakers in July that there were no plans to ban the use of bamboo.

Hong Kong has seen several notable high-rise fires in recent years, although deaths are rare.

Scaffolding around an office building in the Central Business District caught fire last month, leaving four people hospitalized. In 2023, a 42-story hotel under construction in the tourist district of Tsim Sha Tsui burned down before being brought under control. Before the current fire, the deadliest residential building fire in recent decades was the 1996 fire at the Garley Building in Jordan, which killed 41 people and led to a major overhaul of fire safety standards.

Wang Fuk Court was built in 1983 as subsidized housing before being sold at below-market prices to families under a government program. The renovation work was being carried out by Prestige Construction & Engineering Co., a registered company contracted by the integrated owners of the complex, according to a government statement.

Chen, 72, was home alone when she heard a commotion outside her third-floor apartment in Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday afternoon. At around 3 pm, she received a call from her daughter, who was on vacation with her husband and two children in South Korea.

“I left immediately, I didn’t take anything other than my keys and my phone,” said Chen, who asked to be identified only by her last name, adding that she never heard the fire alarm. She said she often felt scared when construction debris fell loudly.

“At least my family is safe,” he added. “But all our belongings could have been lost.”