Hong Kong
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A horrifying inferno has destroyed a large apartment complex in Hong Kong, leaving at least 83 people dead and many more missing, in the worst disaster in decades.
At least two apartment buildings are still burning more than a day after the blaze broke out, footage from local media showed, and rescue workers said extreme temperatures were making it difficult to reach trapped residents.
A man was rescued alive from the 16th floor of one of the towers of the Wang Fu Court complex on Thursday, public broadcaster RTHK reported, citing the Hong Kong Fire Department.
Questions are swirling about how such a fire could spread from building to building and become so deadly in a city full of high-rise buildings that is usually safe and has strict building standards.
Many of the more than 4,000 residents living in the public housing complex in the city’s Tai Po district were over 65 years old.
The exact cause of the fire is not yet known, but a criminal investigation has been launched.
The complex was under renovation and was covered with bamboo scaffolding and safety netting. This construction technique is widely used in Hong Kong and parts of mainland China. Authorities are also investigating whether flammable materials such as polystyrene boards blocking windows in several apartments may have caused the inferno.
Initial responses were focused on three of the seven blocks affected, and authorities said early Thursday that more than 200 people were still missing.
Hong Kong Fire Department Deputy Commissioner Derek Armstrong Chan said early Friday that firefighters were planning entry operations to enter all homes to see if anyone remained trapped inside the buildings. These operations are expected to end by 9 a.m. local time Friday (8 p.m. Eastern time Thursday).
Mr Chan said the fire in the high-rise building was “much more serious” than initially thought and the firefighting effort “took longer than expected”.
Here’s what we know:
According to the Hong Kong Fire Department, firefighters received a call about the blaze just before 3pm local time (2am Eastern time).
The fire broke out at Wang Chong House, a 32-story residential building and one of eight high-rise buildings that make up the Wang Fuk Court complex, which is undergoing renovation, Chan said.
By the time firefighters arrived on scene at the first building, the scaffolding and netting were on fire. Firefighters began tackling the blaze, but the fire quickly spread from building to building, turning a single high-rise fire into an inferno involving multiple high-rise buildings at the same time.
At least seven of the complex’s eight high-rise buildings were affected by the fire, and those who were able to escape the flames were forced to live in temporary housing.
However, it soon became clear that many residents remained trapped inside their apartments and firefighters were unable to reach them due to the scorching temperatures inside the building and falling debris.
By early Thursday morning local time, the fires had been extinguished in three buildings, four of which still showed “scattered signs of fire,” according to Hong Kong’s leader, Chief Executive John Lee.
All building fires are “basically under control,” Lee said at a news conference Thursday night.
It is not yet known how many of those listed as missing were trapped and how many simply could not be reached in the chaos of evacuation from such a huge complex.
Chan said firefighters knew where many people were trapped, but rescue teams were unable to arrive due to the extreme heat.
A key question for authorities remains why other high-rise blocks were not evacuated sooner after the fire started spreading from the first building.
More than 800 firefighters were called in to extinguish the blaze, with 128 fire trucks and 57 ambulances on the scene.
Early Thursday morning local time, Hong Kong police arrested three men on suspicion of “gross negligence,” a police spokesperson said.
Police found the name of a construction company written on combustible polystyrene boards that firefighters found blocking some windows in the apartment complex. Authorities added that it is suspected that other construction materials found in the apartment, including protective netting, canvas and plastic covers, did not meet safety standards.
“These polystyrene plates are highly flammable and the fire spread very quickly,” Fire Chief Andy Yong said.
“As their presence was unusual, we have referred the incident to the police for further investigation.”
Hong Kong authorities said at least 83 people had died in the blaze, including a 37-year-old firefighter who was injured while fighting the blaze.
The firefighter, identified as Ho Wai Ho, was taken to a hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries, officials said.
The city’s fire department said Thursday that more than 100 people were injured in the blaze, including at least 18 firefighters.
Hundreds of residents may now be homeless in a city that already has a severe shortage of housing and public housing. Lee said Thursday that the city is implementing a “one social worker per household” policy to ensure Wang Fu Court residents receive the help they need.
A 65-year-old man who lives in the apartment complex, who gives his last name as Ho, stood behind police tape Thursday morning, looking out at the smoldering skyscrapers and considering his next move.
Mr Ho, a resident of Block 1 on the easternmost corner of the housing complex, said he fled as soon as the fire alarm went off and considers himself lucky that the damage to the building was relatively light.
“There’s no question that there are still a lot of elderly people and cats and dogs out there,” he told CNN.
This is probably the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since World War II. Previously, the 1996 Gurley Building fire, which killed 41 people, was widely described as the worst peacetime fire in Hong Kong’s history.
Such disasters are extremely rare in Hong Kong. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, the city has an excellent track record when it comes to building safety, thanks to high-quality construction and strict enforcement of building regulations.
Bamboo scaffolding is also found throughout the city, used not only in the construction of new buildings but also in the renovation of thousands of historic rowhouses each year.
However, this technology faces intense scrutiny regarding its safety and durability. Although bamboo is known for its flexibility, it is also flammable and susceptible to deterioration over time.
The Hong Kong Development Authority recently announced that 50% of new public building projects built from March onwards will require the use of metal scaffolding to “strengthen worker protection” and meet modern building standards in “developed cities”.
This statement prompted a backlash from residents, many of whom pointed out that the bamboo scaffolding is a cultural heritage that needs to be maintained.
Pressure on Chinese and Hong Kong officials
Such deadly fires are likely to put pressure on both Hong Kong and Chinese officials.
Hong Kong is a semi-autonomous region of China, run by its own local government that responds to leadership in Beijing. But China has tightened its control over Hong Kong in recent years, particularly after large and sometimes violent pro-democracy protests swept through the city in 2019. Opposition has been suppressed and the protests that were once a feature of daily life in Hong Kong have disappeared.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping expressed his condolences to the victims of the disaster, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
According to CCTV, Xi called on representatives of the China Central Committee and the Hong Kong Liaison Office to “do their utmost” to “take all measures” to support efforts to minimize casualties and losses from the fires.
Mr Lee said he was “saddened” by the death toll from the fire and expressed his “deepest condolences to the families of the dead and the injured.”
