Dozens of people died In a residential property fire in the Tai Po area of Hong Kong. Firefighters continue to put out the fire that has been burning for a day. that it The worst disaster in decades The former British colony, one of the densest cities in the world.
Authorities arrested three people linked to a construction company on charges “Gross negligence.” They may face the charge of manslaughter.
Tai Po District is located in northern Hong Kong, a few kilometers from the border with mainland China. The development destroyed by fire is now public and is called Wang Fook Court. More than 4,000 people live hereMany of them are over 65 years old.
The fire originated in Wang Qiong’s house, One of the eight blocks of apartments in the Wang Fook Court complexAccording to Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of operations for the fire department. It is a 32-storey residential building.
When fire services arrived, the scaffolding and netting were engulfed in flames. They came More than 800 firefightersWith 128 trucks. They have 57 ambulances. Firefighters began dealing with the damaged tower, however The fire quickly spread to another and another. At least seven of the eight in Wang Fook Court were affected by the fire.
Another problem was added to the fire: many residents remained Trapped inside their homes (We have already seen that many of them were elderly.) High temperatures, falling debris, and the inability of firefighters to reach inside apartments. “Due to the extreme heat inside certain buildings, we are currently unable to reach those trapped inside,” the Hong Kong Fire Department’s deputy director of operations said at the time.
The worst fire since World War II
- The Tai Po Fire is likely the deadliest fire Hong Kong has seen since World War II. Before that, the largest fire tragedy occurred in 1996, when the Jarli Building burned down, killing 41 people.
Styrofoam panels and unmanned towers
The cause of the fire is not yet known, but it is known that The flames spread across the bamboo scaffolding Installed in a block. Authorities are also investigating whether flammable materials, including Styrofoam sheets blocking the windows of multiple apartments, may have contributed to the spread of the fire.
“Those tables Polystyrene is highly flammableFire Services Director Andy Young said that the fire spread very quickly, and stressed that its presence was “unusual,” which is why they sent this information to the police for future investigations.
The question many in Hong Kong ask is why were the other blocks of the Wang Fook Court complex built? They were not evacuated more quickly Once the fire started spreading from the first building.
At the time of the fire, the apartment complex was undergoing renovation and covered with bamboo scaffolding and safety nets. that it Construction technology is ubiquitous in Hong Kong and parts of mainland China. Its advantages are its flexibility, low cost and sustainability.
Hong Kong, increasingly Chinese
- Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to the victims of the Tai Po fire. It does so because Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous part of China. Although it is run by its local government, it is accountable to leaders in Beijing. CNN reported that the Chinese regime has strengthened its control over the city in recent years, especially after the democracy protests in 2019. The opposition was suppressed and the protests faded.
Bamboo scaffolding, advantages and disadvantages
Bamboo scaffolding dates back to the Han Dynasty at least 2,000 years ago, and has been used to build some of the city’s tallest and most iconic skyscrapers, such as Norman Foster’s headquarters for HSBC Bank. It’s a much-loved tradition in Hong Kong, according to reports CNN Newsbut has recently come under scrutiny because It can become fuel (as in this case) It is susceptible to deterioration over time.
“Bamboo It is definitely a flammable material. This is a very dry season in Hong Kong, so the possibility of this bamboo catching fire is very high. “Once ignited, the fire spreads very quickly,” said Xinyan Huang, a professor in the Department of Environmental and Energy Engineering at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
From January 2018 to August 2025 she was there in Hong Kong 24 deaths linked to bamboo scaffoldingThis is according to data from the Ministry of Labor. The debate about the future of this material is real and the authorities have taken note.
The Hong Kong Development Office recently announced the construction of 50% new public construction projects Starting in March, they will have to use metal scaffolding. They consider that in this way it will be possible to “better protect workers” and align with modern construction standards in “developed cities”.
However, disasters like Tai Po are extremely rare in Hong Kong. In fact, the former colony has Proven track record when it comes to construction safetyThis is thanks to high-quality construction and strict application of building regulations.