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What is the story about?
Hong Kong police arrested three people from an engineering firm on suspicion of manslaughter after a deadly fire at a high-rise complex, which has also renewed scrutiny of the city’s use of bamboo scaffolding on major renovation projects.
The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday, left at least 44 residents dead and hundreds missing. The complex, built in the 1980s as government-subsidised housing with about 2,000 flats, was undergoing a lengthy renovation at the time.
Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company, with Secretary for Security Chris Tang saying earlier that a criminal investigation will be pursued.
Tang noted that protective netting, fire-resistant cloth and plastic sheeting on the building’s exterior “burnt far more intensely and spread much faster than compliant materials normally would,” calling the situation “unusual.”
Investigators are still determining what sparked the blaze and are examining whether bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh wrapped around parts of the building helped the flames spread. Video from the scene shows scaffolding outside several flats engulfed in fire, with burning pieces of mesh falling to the ground.
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Hong Kong is one of the few places where bamboo is still widely used in construction. In March, the government said it would start phasing bamboo out in favour of fire-resistant steel, requiring metal frames for 50% of public works.
Safety Concerns
The shift comes after years of safety concerns. From 2018 to 2025, more than 20 people died in industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds, according to official figures released in February. Despite this, bamboo remains the material of choice for repair works because of its lightness, flexibility and lower cost.
The latest blaze has intensified scrutiny, following a string of scaffold-related incidents — including a major bamboo collapse at Kai Tak luxury development last year that killed two workers and led to manslaughter charges. In October, a massive bamboo scaffolding caught fire at the Chinachem Tower in the Central Business District.
Chief Executive John Lee has announced a task force to investigate the blaze, promising that any wrongdoing will be pursued “in accordance with laws and regulations” and that all ongoing renovation sites using scaffolding will be checked for proper materials and fire safety.
Authorities said the renovation works at Wang Fuk Court were being carried out by Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Police said that in the building not affected by the blaze, every floor had protective nets, waterproof tarpaulin and plastic cloths — materials that may have failed to meet fire-safety standards. On each floor, styrofoam was used to seal windows, which could have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Another issue that may have contributed to the scale of the fire was the apparent failure of the building’s fire alarms to activate. The South China Morning Post cited former district councillor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho as saying that residents reported the alarms did not go off, even after they smelt something burning. Residents were only alerted when a security guard knocked on their doors, leaving them with little time to evacuate, according to the report.
The blaze, which broke out on Wednesday, left at least 44 residents dead and hundreds missing. The complex, built in the 1980s as government-subsidised housing with about 2,000 flats, was undergoing a lengthy renovation at the time.
Police arrested two directors and an engineering consultant from a construction company, with Secretary for Security Chris Tang saying earlier that a criminal investigation will be pursued.
Tang noted that protective netting, fire-resistant cloth and plastic sheeting on the building’s exterior “burnt far more intensely and spread much faster than compliant materials normally would,” calling the situation “unusual.”
Investigators are still determining what sparked the blaze and are examining whether bamboo scaffolding and green construction mesh wrapped around parts of the building helped the flames spread. Video from the scene shows scaffolding outside several flats engulfed in fire, with burning pieces of mesh falling to the ground.
Read Also: Asian stocks rise, bitcoin trades above $90,000
Hong Kong is one of the few places where bamboo is still widely used in construction. In March, the government said it would start phasing bamboo out in favour of fire-resistant steel, requiring metal frames for 50% of public works.
Safety Concerns
The shift comes after years of safety concerns. From 2018 to 2025, more than 20 people died in industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds, according to official figures released in February. Despite this, bamboo remains the material of choice for repair works because of its lightness, flexibility and lower cost.
The latest blaze has intensified scrutiny, following a string of scaffold-related incidents — including a major bamboo collapse at Kai Tak luxury development last year that killed two workers and led to manslaughter charges. In October, a massive bamboo scaffolding caught fire at the Chinachem Tower in the Central Business District.
Chief Executive John Lee has announced a task force to investigate the blaze, promising that any wrongdoing will be pursued “in accordance with laws and regulations” and that all ongoing renovation sites using scaffolding will be checked for proper materials and fire safety.
Authorities said the renovation works at Wang Fuk Court were being carried out by Prestige Construction & Engineering Co. Police said that in the building not affected by the blaze, every floor had protective nets, waterproof tarpaulin and plastic cloths — materials that may have failed to meet fire-safety standards. On each floor, styrofoam was used to seal windows, which could have contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
Another issue that may have contributed to the scale of the fire was the apparent failure of the building’s fire alarms to activate. The South China Morning Post cited former district councillor Herman Yiu Kwan-ho as saying that residents reported the alarms did not go off, even after they smelt something burning. Residents were only alerted when a security guard knocked on their doors, leaving them with little time to evacuate, according to the report.
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