The fire that engulfed the sprawling Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po district turned into one of the worst tragedies in Hong Kong's modern history in a matter of minutes. According to Reuters, the disaster claimed at least 55 lives, hundreds of people suffered injuries and many residents remain missing. It is the worst residential building fire in the city's history.
According to the South China Morning Post, the fire spread extremely quickly, mainly because of the bamboo scaffolding used in the facade repairs.
The burning structure, combined with the wind and flammable protective sheeting, allowed the flames to leap to neighbouring towers in a short time. The complex houses nearly 2,000 apartments, occupied by about 4,000 people - many of whom were at home when the fire broke out. The firefighters' response was complicated by thick smoke, high temperatures and blocked escape routes.
The tragedy immediately brought back memories of the 1996 fire at the Garley Building, when 41 people were killed during reconstruction. It also became clear then that the use of inappropriate building materials could have fatal consequences, and the media compared the two cases. According to comments in The Guardian, this raises the question of whether safety standards have been underestimated or violated in the current reconstruction.
Police have detained three people associated with the company that renovated the facility and are investigating them on suspicion of gross negligence. Investigators say a combination of insulation materials and sealed windows may have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire, preventing smoke from escaping outside and people from entering the hallway. Other information from the AP said it could have caused the so-called chimney effect - a situation where a fire shoots violently up through a building due to the build-up of hot gases.
Meanwhile, the city government has opened crisis centres for victims' families, housed displaced residents in makeshift facilities and promised emergency inspections of all Hong Kong tower blocks that use similar scaffolding or insulation. According to Hong Kong's public broadcaster RTHK, many families are still searching for their loved ones, while city residents are setting up spontaneous memorial sites near the complex.
gnews.cz - GH
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