New Delhi: There is public fury in Hong Kong after a massive fire broke out at a densely populated housing complex on Wednesday, killing 128 people. Dozens of people are yet to be found. The fire started midafternoon Wednesday in one of the Wang Fuk Court complex’s eight towers, jumping rapidly from one to the next as bamboo scaffolding covered in netting in place for renovations caught ablaze until seven buildings were engulfed.
Over 1,000 firefighters took 24 hours to bring the fire under control. Even after nearly two days, smoke continued to drift out of the charred remains of the buildings from the occasional flare-up. The housing complex had almost 2,000 apartments and some 4,800 residents occupying them.
The Public Fury
Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Hong Kong’s leader John Lee said that the government would set up a fund to help residents and that the city’s development bureau discussed replacing bamboo scaffolding with metal alternatives.
However, citizens feel that Lee’s focus on blaming the bamboo scaffolding deflects from the actual cause of Wednesday’s fire, according to a report by The Guardian on Thursday.
There is anger that the focus has been put on bamboo as a potential accelerant of the fire. The report said that on Thursday afternoon, much of the bamboo scaffolding remained standing, with the green mesh between the poles having been incinerated.
For months, residents of Wang Fuk Court complained about shoddy behaviour from the construction company, said Michael Mo, a former Hong Kong district councillor.
In 2024, the text of an email purpotedly from the Labour Department was posted on a Wang Fuk Court residents group. Responding to inquiries about the maintenance works, the email said that as the works did not involve open flames, “the risk of fire from the scaffolding is relatively low.”
The email also said that the Labour Department’s regulations did not cover flame-retardant standards for scaffolding.
Survivors Sleep In Malls
On the second night after the massive, set up mattresses in a nearby mall, many saying official evacuation centres should be saved for those in greater need, a report by the news agency Reuters said.
From elderly residents to schoolchildren, the survivors wrapped themselves in duvets and huddled in tents outside a McDonald’s restaurant and convenience shops as volunteers handed out snacks and toiletries.
