A massive fire ripped through multiple high-rise residential blocks in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po district on Wednesday, killing at least 14 people and injuring scores of others as authorities struggled to bring the blaze under control.
Firefighters battled the orange flames into the night as thick black smoke billowed from the 32-storey towers, which were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding – whose use the government began phasing out in March for safety reasons – and green construction mesh. The cause of the blaze was not immediately known.
Hong Kong’s Chief Executive John Lee called an emergency meeting on Wednesday evening.
“All government departments are fully assisting residents affected by the fire, prioritising the safety and well-being of the public,” according to a government statement.
China’s President Xi Jinping on Wednesday night urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China’s central television reported.
Hong Kong’s Transport Department said that due to the fire, an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways, had been closed and buses were being diverted.
At least six schools will be closed on Thursday due to the fire and traffic congestion, the city’s Education Bureau said.
It is Hong Kong’s worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the heart of Kowloon in November 1996. That fire was later found to be caused by welding during internal renovations.
A public inquiry yielded sweeping updates to building standards and fire safety regulations in the city’s high-rise offices, shops and homes.
Safety regulations had been upgraded
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety. It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with some 300,000 residents.
Occupied since 1983, the complex is under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme, according to property agency websites. According to online posts, it has been undergoing renovations for a year at a cost of HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
Owning a home is a distant dream for many in Hong Kong, one of the world’s most expensive housing markets and where residential rents are hovering around record highs.
Buildings surrounded by smoke and flames
Earlier, people had gathered on a nearby overhead walkway, watching in dismay as smoke billowed from the buildings, some of which were clad in bamboo scaffolding, with local media reporting the units were under renovation.
Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the complex, according to Reuters witnesses.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise housing complexes in Hong Kong, which is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Tai Po, located near the border with mainland China, is an established suburban district with a population of about 300,000.
The complex is under the government’s subsidised home ownership scheme. It has been occupied since 1983, according to property agency websites.
Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is still widely used for scaffolding in construction.
The government moved to start phasing out the city’s use of its bamboo scaffolding in March, citing safety. It announced that 50% of public construction works would be required to use metal frames instead.
The fire department said it received reports at 2:51 p.m. (0651 GMT) that a fire had broken out in Wang Fuk Court. It was upgraded to a No. 5 alarm, the highest, at 6:22 p.m.
Hong Kong’s Transport Department said that due to the fire an entire section of the Tai Po road, one of Hong Kong’s two main highways, has been closed and buses are being diverted.
Five people died after a fire broke out in a densely populated residential building in Hong Kong’s bustling Kowloon district in April last year.
