When I first saw news about the fire, I actually thought the building was just under construction. Meaning, it was being built, uninhabited, the like.
In Malaysia, buildings only look like this if it’s being built. My apartment, which is considered old, once had a repainting job done. There were no scaffolding or netting when painting was being done. Come to think of it, I had no idea how the renovation folks did the repainting job.
Like UK’s Grenfell disaster, Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court had flammable materials on the outside of the building that created a “chimney” effect that allowed the fire to spread quickly upwards. Strong winds also made the fire jump from building to building.
Many on Chinese social media said that the buildings were covered in this green plastic netting and bamboo scaffolding for a year. On top of that the windows were blocked with foam for that long. Doesn’t that mean the residents lived in darkness for a year?
The scaffolding is said to be blamed for the quick spread of the fire. However, arguments are breaking out on Chinese social media, with some folks defending the use of bamboo as scaffolding, and saying that’s not the true source of the fire. But this is when I found out that Hong Kong has a bamboo association/lobby??
At first I thought it was rather extreme that three members of the building/engineering teams were arrested. Now I think more should’ve been taken in. Just who allowed this negligence and fire hazard?
To be honest, I’m not sure why I’m so affected by this tragedy. Perhaps it’s because, like most Malaysians, I live in a multi-storey building (though only four storeys). Perhaps I just can’t believe this tragedy could even happen, at such scale.
… the incident raises questions about the fire resistance of materials used in building exteriors. It is suspected that some of the materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet current fire resistance standards, enabling the fire to spread unusually fast. This calls for an urgent review and, if necessary, a tightening and enforcing of building codes to ensure that all major materials used in construction are noncombustible and can withstand high temperatures. – China Daily
China Daily has a “live” reporting page for the tragedy.
Reactions from mainlanders
On social media, folks on the mainland are grieving along with the Hong Kongers, with many donating to help them. However, on social media I see many expressing confusion and shock over the green netting and bamboo scaffolding.
Apparently, on the mainland they use steel scaffolding and some kind of flame retardant covering. Although some areas of China do use bamboo and that green netting, it’s not as widespread as in Hong Kong. However, as these are social media posts, we have to only make assumptions and cannot take this as 100% truth.
Lax safety standards to blame?
Veteran social commentator Fung Hei Kin summed up the popular opinion among Hong Kongers in a Facebook post on Nov 27 that quickly drew more than 11,000 reactions and over 1,600 shares.
“The unscrupulousness of contractors, negligence of supervising engineers, the complacency of government departments, and the careless discarding of cigarette butts by unknown individuals – these layers of societal degradation are the root causes of the tragic disaster at Wang Fuk Court,” he wrote.
Hong Kong’s construction industry has often made the news for its black sheep – be it contractors turning a blind eye to substandard work and materials for bribes, or site supervisors displaying a blatant disregard for regulations. – Straits Times
Malaysia’s fire department sends condolences to fallen HK firefighter
Really touched that the Malaysian fire department is mourning the death of the Hong Kong firefighter who died rescuing people from the Wong Fuk Courts 🙏
South China Morning Post publishes an obituary for Ho Wai-Ho.
A reaction from someone who lives in Hong Kong
Post on Mastodon:
Elizabeth Tai 
Leave a Reply