{"id":10636,"date":"2025-11-27T09:45:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T10:45:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/?p=10636"},"modified":"2025-11-28T12:27:05","modified_gmt":"2025-11-28T12:27:05","slug":"bamboo-scaffolding-under-scrutiny-following-devastating-hong-kong-high-rise-fire","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rutha.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/27\/bamboo-scaffolding-under-scrutiny-following-devastating-hong-kong-high-rise-fire\/","title":{"rendered":"Bamboo scaffolding under scrutiny following devastating Hong Kong high-rise fire"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Wang<\/div>\n

Bamboo<\/a> scaffolding and safety netting have been blamed for contributing to the spread of an enormous high-rise building fire in Hong Kong<\/a> that has claimed at least 55 lives.<\/span><\/p>\n

The blaze broke out at the Wang Fuk Court residential apartment complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon.<\/p>\n

It then spread across seven of the complex’s eight 32-storey buildings, with firefighters continuing to battle the blaze more than 24 hours later.<\/p>\n

Hundreds still missing<\/strong><\/p>\n

More than 70 have been injured in addition to the 55 confirmed dead, according to Hong Kong’s Hospital Authority, while nearly 300 people are still missing.<\/p>\n

Investigations into the cause and spread of the fire are ongoing, but attention so far has focused on bamboo scaffolding<\/a> and construction materials on the buildings’ exteriors.<\/p>\n

The fire reportedly started on the external scaffolding of one tower before spreading via the scaffolding and green construction netting to the inside of the building and to neighbouring buildings, fanned by hot and windy weather.<\/p>\n

\"Wang
Bamboo scaffolding is common in Hong Kong but has been implicated in other fires<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Police said they found highly flammable Styrofoam attached to windows on the unaffected tower.<\/p>\n

Bamboo scaffolding is widely used in Hong Kong, though the government announced earlier this year that its use will be phased out for public projects over worker safety concerns, without banning it entirely.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, authorities have indicated that they believe some of the implicated materials did not comply with regulations.<\/p>\n

The Hong Kong Labour Department’s Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety<\/a> states that any protective nets, screens, tarpaulin or plastic sheeting installed on scaffolding “should have appropriate fire retardant properties in compliance with a recognised standard”.<\/p>\n