Fire at least 128 dead In a residential complex Hong Kong It ignited the debate about ubiquitous presence security Bamboo scaffoldingWhich the city government wants to eliminate.
Hong Kong is one of the last cities in the world to continue to use bamboo scaffolding in modern construction and building repair. A practice dating back centuries in China and other parts of Asia.
Wang Fook Court’s eight skyscrapers have undergone major renovations since last year, and It was covered with bamboo supports and green protective nets.
The Hong Kong government said bamboo splinters contributed to this Spread the flames He defended that “The necessity of speeding up“Moving to metal scaffolding across the city for safety reasons.
Some residents defend the use of these materials and accuse the government of looking for a scapegoat in this long-known craft in Hong Kong.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It is a complex problem and has many aspects.” Agence France-Presse Anwar Orabi, a civil engineer specializing in fire safety at the University of Queensland.
“The bamboo, or rather the entire scaffold, caught fire. This is not the only contributing factor, it may be one of them,” he stressed.
“Preliminary findings indicate that the fire started in the protective netting located outside the lower floors of one of the buildings and quickly spread upward due to the foam panels.”Highly flammableAccording to security chief Chris Tang.
These panels stuck to the windows caused the glass to break and allow the fire to spread. “It intensifies and spreads internally.” He added.
He explained that the intense heat set fire to the piece of bamboo, the fragments of which broke and fell to the lower floors, causing the fire to spread further.
Bamboo scaffolding is versatile and sustainable. They are easily obtained in southern China, and can be economically transported, assembled and disassembled in small spaces.
Industry representatives estimated in January that nearly 80% of scaffolding in Hong Kong is made of bamboo. It is estimated that there are about 3,000 professionals in this profession in the city.
The government of this semi-autonomous Chinese city had already put forward plans in March to encourage wider adoption of metal scaffolding in order to improve safety.
After Wednesday’s fire, the second-highest local official, Eric Chan, insisted on this Despite its long history of use, the fire resistance of bamboo scaffolding “is still inferior.”
An advocacy group representing victims of workplace accidents highlighted in a statement three other scaffolding-related fires reported this year in Hong Kong.
Ho Wing-ip, an engineering professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, said he had examined black buildings Agence France-Presse Metal and bamboo scaffolding can withstand fire for a short time. But the fire at Wang Fook Court continued for more than 40 hours.
He also regretted that all eight blocks were being renovated simultaneously. If they had been renovated one at a time, “I don’t think the fire would have spread as much,” he said.
On social media, some Hong Kong residents defend the tradition and point out that large parts of the structure remain intact despite the duration and intensity of the fire.
Others criticize the media that focused on this issue during its coverage.
“Presenting bamboo scaffolding as the main explanation for the fire is essentially blaming foreigners and outsidersLeung Kai-chi, a Hong Kong studies scholar, commented in a post on Threads.
Others pointed to the wide range of factors involved.
Ho Ping Tak, president of the Bamboo Scaffolding Federation, stressed on a morning radio program that bamboo alone is “difficult to ignite,” and called on the government to strengthen requirements for fire-resistant materials.
Ho, from Hong Kong Polytechnic University, stressed that the foam panels appeared to be the “most important” reason why the fire swept through the building so quickly.
For his part, Lee Kwong Seng, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Security Professionals, blamed the security network. “Even if you switch to metal scaffolding, you still need the mesh,” he stressed.
(AFP)