At least four people died and many others were still trapped due to a huge fire that affected several towers in the Wang Fook Court residential complex on Wednesday, in the northern district of Tai Po, in Hong Kong (an autonomous region of China), the government said. Firefighters continue to fight the flames and thick black smoke rising from the 31-storey towers, which contain 2,000 residential apartments inside.
Three people are in critical condition after suffering burns, and another is in serious condition; There are many injured, including some members of the fire department. Many citizens gathered in a nearby corridor, watching in horror as smoke rising from the buildings, some of which were covered with bamboo scaffolding.
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still used for scaffolding in construction. Last March, the government promised action to begin phasing out the use of such bamboo scaffolding, due to safety concerns. He declared that at least 50% of public works should use metal structures.
The fire department received notification of the fire at 2:51 p.m. Local time (7:51 a.m. mainland Spain). Wang Fook Court is one of many high-rise residential complexes in Hong Kong, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world; The group of towers is part of the government’s subsidized housing program and has been occupied since 1983, according to the property. Local television station TVB reported that the complex was undergoing major renovations.
In April last year, five people were also killed when an apartment building burned down in the bustling Kowloon area.