A huge fire still burning in a Hong Kong residential apartment complex that has killed at least 44 people and left almost 300 missing may have been spread by unsafe scaffolding and foam materials used during maintenance work, police said on Thursday.
Working through the night, firefighters were struggling to reach the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to the intense heat and thick smoke from the fire that erupted on Wednesday afternoon. The complex in the northern Tai Po district has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks.
By early Thursday morning, authorities said they had brought four blocks under control, with operations continuing in three blocks after more than 15 hours. Video from the scene showed flames still leaping from at least two of the 32-storey towers and heavy smoke billowing from several.
The green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding used on the buildings are a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture, but subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
Police said in addition to buildings being covered with protective mesh sheets and plastic that may not meet fire standards, some windows on one unaffected building were sealed with a foam material, installed by a construction company carrying out maintenance work.
