What we all know concerning the Hong Kong residence fires

A devastating hearth has ripped by means of a number of high-rise tower blocks in Hong Kong, killing a minimum of 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.

Pictures 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 hearth, in response to native media stories, 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 obligation”, 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 complicated 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 hearth, Tai Po district councillor Mui Siu-fung advised BBC Chinese language. In-built 1983, the tower blocks had been present process renovations when the hearth 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 complicated offers 1,984 residences for some 4,600 residents, in response to a 2021 authorities census.

Almost 40% of the 4,600 individuals who lived within the Wang Fuk Courtroom housing complicated are a minimum of 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 hearth is unknown however a preliminary investigation discovered that the fast velocity at which it unfold was uncommon, Hong Kong’s safety secretary stated early on Thursday morning.

Police say a mesh materials and plastic sheets had 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 more likely to have induced the flames to unfold so rapidly, 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 had been trying into the alleged actions, or failure to behave, of the agency’s prime officers.

“We have now motive to imagine that these in cost on the firm had been grossly negligent, which led to this accident and induced the hearth to unfold uncontrollably, leading to main casualties,” stated the spokesperson.

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

That is Hong Kong’s deadliest hearth in a minimum of 63 years and has been categorised as a degree 5 alarm – the very best in severity.

Inside 40 minutes of first being reported, it was declared a degree 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 getting into the buildings to conduct rescue operations, deputy director of fireside providers Derek Armstrong Chan advised media.

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

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

The fireplace 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 hearth service.

At the very least 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 by utilizing a loudspeaker, say native media stories.

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

One other, the Kwong Fuk Neighborhood Corridor, which is simply over the highway from the housing property, was deemed unsafe. Evacuees had 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 a number of the shelters.

At the very least 900 persons are taking shelter in such short-term amenities, Agence France-Presse stories, 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 hearth, 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 fast unfold of the hearth to supplies used within the renovation, akin to mesh netting, plastic sheeting and styrofoam.

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

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

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

One hearth security skilled the BBC spoke to earlier stated the bamboo scaffolding – a typical a part of town’s city panorama – additionally performed a component in fanning the flames.

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

The push in the 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 had been “comparatively outdated” – they had been constructed within the Eighties – so “the glass home windows aren’t that fireside resilient”.

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

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