Hong Kong’s worst fire in decades was likely fueled by the use of substandard netting that workers surrounded scaffolding with while they renovated the high-rise buildings comprising the Wang Fuk Court complex.
“Some of the scaffolding netting … was replaced with cheaper material that did not meet fire-safety standards,” the New York Times reported today.
Possibly to fool safety inspectors, workers used a small number of rolls of approved netting to cover the base of the scaffolding, according to the report.
“Investigators believe [use of the high-quality netting] was an attempt to disguise the inferior material above,” the report said.
About 2,300 rolls of the substandard netting, at about $7 a roll, were used, while another 115 rolls, at about $13 a roll, were used to cover the base of the scaffolding, according to the report.
More than 150 people have died in last week’s fire and several dozen people are still being accounted for, according to reports. Many of the people were killed while trying to flee in stairwells and on rooftops, NBC News reported. At least five construction workers are among those killed.
The fire is believed to have started in the netting at one of the buildings and then quickly spread to most of the complex, which houses about 4,000 people, most of them senior citizens, in a cluster of high-rise buildings.
The buildings were surrounded by scaffolding while workers carried out exterior renovations. In Hong Kong, it’s common for workers to use bamboo scaffolding, which is prized for its flexibility, but the material has come under criticism recently.
“The technique has been facing mounting scrutiny for its safety and durability,” a CNN report says. “It is … combustible and prone to deterioration over time.”
In addition to the scaffolding and netting, investigators are looking at the use of polystyrene boards to cover the building windows.
“These polystyrene boards are extremely inflammable and the fire spread very rapidly,” CNN reported Hong Kong’s director of fire services, Andy Yeung, saying. “Their presence was unusual so we have referred the incident to the police for further enquiries.”
Other materials that don’t meet safety standards, including “protective nets, canvas, and plastic covers,” were likely used, officials said in the CNN report.
Hong Kong’s Buildings Department has ordered contractors to certify the safety of the scaffolding netting and other materials they use, according to the Times report. Since the fire, the department has inspected almost 400 buildings undergoing renovation.
“As inspections ramped up, some contractors appeared to be moving quickly to remove netting used at sites,” the Times report said. “‘You can see the mesh being removed in Hong Kong because they are avoiding punishment,’” Jason Poon Chuk-hung, a civil engineer-turned activist who has lobbied the government to address fire safety, said in the Times report.
Government authorities have arrested 14 people, including engineering consultants, contractors and scaffolding subcontractors, in connection with the fire, the Times report said.
