Hong Kong Tower Fire Kills at Least 65, Triggering Calls to End Bamboo Scaffolding
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A devastating fire that swept through a public housing estate in Hong Kong has killed at least 65 people, prompting renewed calls to phase out to bamboo scaffolding and exposing weaknesses in fire-safety standards for the city’s aging residential towers.
The blaze broke out Wednesday at seven of the eight towers of Wang Fuk Court complex, which was undergoing exterior renovations and had been wrapped in bamboo scaffolding and green nylon mesh. Driven by strong winds, the fire raced up the buildings’ façades, creating what firefighters and experts described as a rare and deadly “three-dimensional fire.”
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- A fire at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court public housing estate killed at least 65 people, with bamboo scaffolding and weak fire-safety standards contributing to the disaster.
- The fire spread rapidly outside-in due to strong winds, flammable renovation materials, open stairwells, and design flaws in the 1980s-era towers.
- Authorities plan to phase out bamboo scaffolding for safer metal alternatives, but cost and lack of regulations for renovations remain obstacles.
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- Chinachem Tower
- On October 2023, a fire broke out at the Chinachem Tower in Central, Hong Kong. The blaze ascended the building's bamboo scaffolding. Fortunately, no fatalities occurred, likely due to the building's double-glazed curtain wall preventing internal ignition. This incident contrasted with another fire where older single-pane windows shattered immediately.
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