A sudden fire broke out on the 31st floor of the Wong Fook Court building in Hong Kong, and so far, 75 people have died. However, many people are now speculating about this fire. So, in this report of Instant World News, we will provide the information about the fire. Let's get started.
When is the fire?
A fire broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a large housing complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po area, at 2:51 p.m. local time on Wednesday. Wang Fuk Court consists of eight 31-story buildings. Tai Po area councillor Mui Siu-fang told BBC Chinese that seven of the blocks were damaged in the fire.
The buildings, built in 1983, were under renovation when the fire broke out. Tai Po is a residential area in the northern part of Hong Kong, close to the mainland Chinese city of Shenzhen. According to the 2021 government census, the complex has about 4,600 residents living in 1,984 apartments. About 40 per cent of them are aged 65 or over.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is unknown. However, Hong Kong's security secretary said early Thursday that initial investigations showed the fire had spread unusually quickly. Police said mesh fabric and plastic sheets were found outside the building, none of which appeared to be fireproof. Styrofoam was also found in the building's windows. Police said these construction materials could have caused the fire to spread so quickly. Police have arrested three men aged between 52 and 68 in connection with the horrific blaze.
Two of them are directors of a construction company, and the other is an engineering consultant. A police spokesman said investigators were looking into the failure of top officials at the construction company. "We have reason to believe that the company's officials were seriously negligent in their duties, which led to the accident and the rapid spread of the fire, causing widespread casualties," the spokesman said. Local media reported that some residents complained that the building's fire alarm did not go off.
How serious is the fire?
It is the worst fire in Hong Kong in at least 63 years. It has been classified as a level five alarm (the highest level). The fire was declared a level four alarm within 40 minutes of being reported. The level was raised again about three and a half hours later at 6:22 pm local time. Local media had previously reported that explosions could be heard inside the building.
Fire service fire hoses were unable to reach the upper floors. Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of the fire service, told the media that firefighters were unable to enter the building to carry out rescue operations due to the intense heat of the fire. 767 firefighters, 128 fire engines, 57 ambulances and about 400 police officers were deployed to the scene.
What is known about the victims?
Among the dead was 37-year-old firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who had worked at Sha Tin Fire Station for nine years. The fire service said contact with Wai-ho was lost at 3:30 p.m., and he was found unconscious about half an hour later. He was taken to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead a short time later. The Hong Kong Fire Service said at least one other firefighter was still in the hospital. According to local media reports, police are using loudspeakers to help residents find their family members.
What caused the fire to increase in intensity?
The buildings in Wong Fook Court were covered from the roof with bamboo scaffolding and green construction netting, as renovation work was underway. As previously mentioned, police have blamed the rapid spread of the fire on materials such as scaffolding, plastic sheeting and Styrofoam used in the renovation. Jason Poon, chairman of construction firm China Monitor, told Initiation Media that whatever the cause of the fire, using the right scaffolding outside the building was crucial to preventing the spread of the fire.
He added that poor-quality scaffolding could spread the fire quickly. Another engineer said he believed most scaffolding used in construction across Hong Kong was not made of fire-retardant materials. In addition, scaffolding is often covered with cardboard, debris and paint thinner, which, combined with the dry weather, can help the fire spread quickly. A fire safety expert has previously said that the bamboo scaffolding used in the renovation contributed to the fire.
Local media reported that the government was looking to phase out the use of bamboo in favour of metal scaffolding due to safety concerns. Professor Jiang Liming of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University noted that the buildings in Wang Fook Court were “relatively old”, so “the glass in the windows is not as fire-resistant”. Liming added that modern buildings have double-pane windows. But they probably only used single-pane glass, which can easily break in the heat of a fire and allow the fire to penetrate the outer walls.
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