On Wednesday, a huge fire tore through several high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong’s northern Tai Po area. The fire killed at least 14 people and hurt many more as firefighters fought to put it out.
The bright flames were still being fought by firemen even though it got dark. The 32 story towers were covered in green construction nets and bamboo scaffolding, which the government began to phase out in March for safety reasons. Thick black smoke rose from the buildings. At first, no one knew what caused the fire.
It was very hot, so firefighters were having a hard time getting to the upper floors of the towers. It was also getting harder to keep the fire under control as the night fell.
The fire started in the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which has eight blocks with 2,000 flats. The Fire Services Department said it didn’t know how many people were still inside the houses yet.
THIRD PARTY AMONG THE DEAD
Dozens of shocked residents, many of whom were crying, watched from nearby paths as smoke rose from the complex.
A 71-year-old man named Wong broke down in tears and said that his wife was stuck in one of the houses.
The head of Fire Services said that one of the 14 people who died was a fireman. More than 16 people were also hurt.
The fire service said that at 2:51 p.m., they were told that there was a fire in Wang Fuk Court. At 6:22 p.m., it was raised to the city’s top level, No. 5, which is the fifth alarm.
Strong winds blew the fires around, and they spread to seven of the eight blocks in the complex.
For more than 40 years, Harry Cheung, 66, has lived in one of the buildings at Block Two. He said he heard “a very loud noise at around 2:45 p.m.” (06:45 GMT) and saw a fire start in a nearby block.
“I immediately went back to pack up my things,” he stated. “Right now I have no idea how I feel.” I am just considering where I will sleep tonight since I most likely won’t be able to get back home.
As firefighters fought the fire, Reuters witnesses saw frames of scaffolding fall to the ground. A long line of fire trucks and ambulances lined the road below the building.
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John Lee, the CEO of Hong Kong, called an emergency meeting for Wednesday night
A government statement said, “All government departments are fully helping residents affected by the fire, putting the safety and well-being of the public first.”
China’s state media reported that on Wednesday night, President Xi Jinping called for a “all-out effort” to put out the fire and limit the number of deaths and injuries.
The Transport Department of Hong Kong said that a whole section of one of the city’s two main roads, Tai Po Road, had been stopped because of the fire and buses were being sent to other routes.
The city’s Education Bureau said that at least six schools will be closed on Thursday because of the fire and the crowds of cars. In November 1996, 41 people died in a fire in the middle of Kowloon. This is Hong Kong’s worst fire since then. It turned out that the fire was started by welding while the building was being fixed up inside.
After a public investigation, building standards and fire safety rules for the city’s high-rise homes, shops, and businesses were changed in a big way.
NEW safety rules were put in place
Many people still use bamboo for scaffolding in Hong Kong, which is one of the last places in the world that does so.
In March, the city’s bamboo scaffolding was slowly taken away by the government because it was in danger. It said that metal frames would have to be used for 50% of all public building projects.
Wang Fuk Court is one of many high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong, which has one of the highest populations in the world. Tai Po is a well-established neighborhood area with about 300,000 people that is close to the border with mainland China.
According to property agency websites, the building has been occupied since 1983 and is part of the government’s program to help people buy their own homes. Internet posts say that it has been getting repairs for a year, which have cost HK$330 million ($42.43 million), with each unit paying between HK$160,000 and HK$180,000.
Many people in Hong Kong, which has one of the world’s most expensive housing markets and rents that are close to all-time highs, can’t even imagine owning their own house.
The reporters were Joyce Zhou, Tyrone Siu, Jessie Pang, Anne Marie Roantree, Clare Jim, and Greg Torode. Farah Master wrote the story, and Christopher Cushing, Sharon Singleton, and Mark Heinrich edited it.
