Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Extensive use of traditional bamboo scaffoldings and foam may have worsened the biggest fire in more than a century in a Hong Kong building, which has claimed 55 lives so far, with hundreds still missing, while officials arrested three persons for ‘manslaughter.’
Bamboo scaffolding, a centuries-old technique traditionally ubiquitous in Hong Kong, is under scrutiny for its role in the city’s deadliest fire in more than a century, the media reported on Thursday.
At least 55 people have died, and hundreds are still missing since scaffolding at a housing estate in Tai Po district caught fire on Wednesday, according to the latest government figures.
Bamboo is cheap, lightweight, and strong enough to withstand the city-state’s many typhoons and tropical storms. Hundreds of bamboo poles can often be seen lashed together on the side of a modern office tower.
Buildings or housing estates – like the one in Tai Po district – encased in bamboo during significant renovation projects are not a rare sight in the city-state. Sometimes, the scaffolding can remain up for a year or more.
While the use of bamboo has faded in other parts of Asia, it has been hard to replace it completely in Hong Kong, even with options such as metal scaffolding, said experts.
There were 22 fatal workplace accidents involving bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong between 2018 and 2024, according to government figures. Six accidents occurred while new scaffolding was being built, as the rest took place during repairs.
Besides the fact that bamboo is by its very nature combustible, it is also structurally weaker and less stable than steel, and needs to be phased out for larger projects, officials said.
The Wednesday fire was the deadliest in Hong Kong since a blaze in 1918 at the Happy Valley Racecourse in British-ruled Hong Kong, which led to the deaths of more than 600 people.
The fire broke out on the scaffolding of one of the estate’s towers on Wednesday, but the speed with which it spread took many observers by surprise.
Hong Kong officials also say substandard construction materials were another contributing factor. The South China Morning Post reported that the netting placed over the scaffolding did not adhere to the fire code, citing local officials.
Senior police superintendent Eileen Chung said highly flammable Styrofoam boards had also been placed in windows in the housing estate’s lifts, public broadcaster RTHK reported, helping the fire spread.
Two directors and one engineering consultant from the company behind the construction have been detained, Chung confirmed.
Hong Kong’s pro-China leader, John Lee Ka-chiu, has promised that all housing estates undergoing significant improvements will now be inspected.