Residents of Hong Kong are in disbelief after a fire engulfed several tower blocks at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po district, killing 44 people, with officials noting that the death toll could rise. Even as firefighters try to douse the flames, theories are swirling around the possible causes of the deadly blaze, with experts and residents pointing to the bamboo scaffolding
Hong Kong is known for its towering skyscrapers — its urban landscape is made up of an impressive forest of steel and glass towers that dominate the sky. However, on Wednesday (November 26), a deadly fire took hold in an eight-building housing estate with 2,000 apartments, killing at least 44 people and leaving hundreds missing according to authorities.
The devastating fire, which continues to blaze, is now being considered the financial hub’s worst in decades, sending shockwaves through the area, with even China’s Xi Jinping expressing his condolences, and calling for “all-out efforts” to minimise casualties and losses.
But what do we know of the fire? What don’t we know of the blaze? Here’s what we found out so far.
Where and when did the fire break out in Hong Kong?
The fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a large housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, at 14:51 local time on Wednesday (November 26). This residential complex consists of eight blocks with each building being 32-storeys high. According to the 2021 census, this entire complex housed 1,984 apartments and some 4,600 residents.
At the time of the blaze, the buildings were undergoing renovation with the outside being covered in bamboo scaffolding and construction netting. Visuals from the blaze shows the fire spreading quickly through the bamboo.
According to Derek Armstrong Chan, the fire department’s deputy director of operations, by the time firefighters reached the spot, the scaffolding was on fire, spreading through the building and across to other tower blocks.
At least seven of the eight tower blocks within the housing complex were affected by the blaze, forcing those who were able to escape the flames into temporary accommodation.
Source:First Post