What we all know concerning the Hong Kong house fires

A devastating hearth has ripped via a number of high-rise tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing not less than 55 individuals, making it town’s deadliest in additional than 60 years. Greater than 270 individuals have been reported lacking and 1000’s of residents are in evacuation shelters.

Photos from the scene present a number of buildings nonetheless ablaze, and thick smoke billowing into the air, dominating the Chinese language territory’s skyline.

Three males have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter related to the fireplace, in response to native media experiences, and an investigation has been launched.

Chinese language President Xi Jinping has expressed condolences to victims, together with a “firefighter who died within the line of responsibility”, state media report.

What induced the blaze continues to be unclear, however here’s what we do know, up to now.

The blaze broke out at Wang Fuk Courtroom, a big housing advanced in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, at 14:51 native time on Wednesday (06:51 GMT).

Wang Fuk Courtroom consists of eight tower blocks, every 31 storeys excessive. Seven have been affected by the fireplace, Tai Po district councillor Mui Siu-fung instructed BBC Chinese language. Inbuilt 1983, the tower blocks have been present process renovations when the fireplace broke out.

Tai Po is a residential district within the northern a part of Hong Kong, close to town of Shenzhen on the Chinese language mainland.

The advanced gives 1,984 residences for some 4,600 residents, in response to a 2021 authorities census.

Practically 40% of the 4,600 individuals who lived within the Wang Fuk Courtroom housing advanced are not less than 65, or older, in response to the census.

A few of them have lived within the subsidised public housing property because it was constructed.

The reason for the fireplace is unknown however a preliminary investigation discovered that the fast pace at which it unfold was uncommon, Hong Kong’s safety secretary stated early on Thursday morning.

Police say a mesh materials and plastic sheets have been discovered on the surface of the buildings – each of which aren’t believed to be fireproof.

Styrofoam was additionally discovered on the constructing’s home windows – and that, along with the opposite building supplies is prone to have induced the flames to unfold so shortly, stated police.

Police have arrested three males aged between 52 and 68 on suspicion of manslaughter in reference to the lethal blaze – two of them are administrators of a building agency whereas the opposite is an engineering guide.

A police spokesperson stated investigators have been trying into the alleged actions, or failure to behave, of the agency’s prime officers.

“We’ve got purpose to consider that these in cost on the firm have been grossly negligent, which led to this accident and induced the fireplace to unfold uncontrollably, leading to main casualties,” stated the spokesperson.

Native media experiences additionally quote some residents who say the fireplace alarms within the constructing didn’t go off.

That is Hong Kong’s deadliest hearth in not less than 63 years and has been categorised as a stage 5 alarm – the very best in severity.

Inside 40 minutes of first being reported, it was declared a stage 4, however by 18:22, about three and a half hours later, the extent was raised once more.

Native media had earlier reported that explosions might be heard contained in the constructing and hearth hoses couldn’t simply attain the upper ranges.

The ferocity of the warmth had prevented firefighters from coming into the buildings to conduct rescue operations, deputy director of fireplace companies Derek Armstrong Chan instructed media.

In addition to 767 firefighters, 128 hearth engines, 57 ambulances and a few 400 cops have been deployed.

Among the many useless is firefighter Ho Wai-ho, 37, who was with the service at Sha Tin Fireplace Station for 9 years.

The hearth service says it misplaced contact with him at 15:30, and about half an hour later, discovered that he had collapsed. He was taken to hospital however declared useless shortly after.

“I’m profoundly grieved on the lack of this devoted and gallant fireman,” stated Andy Yeung, director of the fireplace service.

No less than one different firefighter is in hospital, the Hong Kong hearth service stated.

Law enforcement officials have been serving to residents seek for members of the family through the use of a loudspeaker, say native media experiences.

A number of emergency shelters have been arrange to accommodate residents who have been evacuated, the federal government stated. The South China Morning Submit reported that one among them – at Tung Cheong Avenue Sports activities Centre – was full, and residents have been being directed to different shelters.

One other, the Kwong Fuk Group Corridor, which is simply over the highway from the housing property, was deemed unsafe. Evacuees have been moved to a different shelter, additional away.

BBC Chinese language reporter Gemini Cheng noticed aged residents, some utilizing strolling sticks or wheelchairs, arriving at among the shelters.

No less than 900 persons are taking shelter in such non permanent services, Agence France-Presse experiences, quoting Lee.

Six colleges in Tai Po will stay closed on Thursday, the Schooling Bureau introduced, itemizing the affected colleges on its web site.

An emergency monitoring and assist centre is in operation to handle the influence of the fireplace, safety secretary Tang Ping-keung stated in a press release.

A hotline for the general public to ask about casualties has been arrange by Hong Kong police.

The tower blocks at Wang Fuk Courtroom are lined in bamboo scaffolding and inexperienced building netting, proper as much as the rooftops, as a result of they’re present process renovations.

As talked about earlier, police have attributed the short unfold of the fireplace to supplies used within the renovation, similar to mesh netting, plastic sheeting and styrofoam.

It is nonetheless unclear what induced the fireplace, however irrespective of the reason for the fireplace, correct netting on the buildings’ exterior would have been key to stopping the unfold of fireplace, Jason Poon, chairman of building NGO China Monitor, instructed information outlet Initium Media, including that substandard netting may trigger the fireplace to unfold quickly.

One other engineer instructed Initium Media he believes that the overwhelming majority of mesh netting utilized in building throughout Hong Kong will not be made from fire-retardant materials.

There are additionally typically cardboard, particles and paint thinner discovered on the scaffolding, which together with dry climate may hasten the unfold of fireplace, the engineer stated.

One hearth security knowledgeable the BBC spoke to earlier stated the bamboo scaffolding – a standard a part of town’s city panorama – additionally performed an element in fanning the flames.

Native media experiences in March stated the federal government’s improvement bureau had been making an attempt to section out using bamboo due to security considerations.

The push in direction of utilizing steel as a substitute of bamboo got here after a spate of scaffolding-related deaths in Hong Kong.

Professor Jiang Liming from Hong Kong Polytechnic College additionally famous that the blocks at Wang Fuk Courtroom have been “comparatively previous” – they have been constructed within the Eighties – so “the glass home windows are usually not that fireside resilient”.

“The fashionable buildings have double pane glass home windows, however for this one they maybe used only a single pane… [which makes it] very simple to be damaged by the flames and the flames can then penetrate via the facade.”

Extra reporting by Jack Lau, BBC World China Unit and Gemini Cheng, BBC Chinese language in Hong Kong.