Hong Kong high-rise building on Fire
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www.reuters.com
Hong Kong buildings blaze kills 36, nearly 300 missing
At least 36 people were killed and 279 were missing on Wednesday after Hong Kong's deadliest fire in three decades ripped through high-rise residential towers sheathed in flammable bamboo scaffolding, authorities said.
ishiki
Padawan Learner
I wonder what started the fire. there are rumours that the fire started by cigarettes as the workers were smoking inside. However, an exploding lithium battery seems more probable, seeing that poor quality of electric vehicles in China are common. Also, with 4.500 people living there and a very old chinese population 36 deaths and 270~ people missing is hardly believable.
Nevertheless a terrible accident.
Nevertheless a terrible accident.
Not looking into it deeply at all, my first reaction would be:
IMO pretty unlikely that all 6 buildings (which look like they are separated from each other) would catch fire by accident at once. Which would lead me to suspect faul play of sorts, possibly by sending a message to the Chinese/Government from the usual suspects in high places.
Having said that, it looks like the buildings are unusually built close to each other for such high buildings. Which in theory could for example mean that just one building in the middle started to burn out extremely and by that heated the next building close to it enough for it to catch fire too. And then the next building, and so on.
IMO pretty unlikely that all 6 buildings (which look like they are separated from each other) would catch fire by accident at once. Which would lead me to suspect faul play of sorts, possibly by sending a message to the Chinese/Government from the usual suspects in high places.
Having said that, it looks like the buildings are unusually built close to each other for such high buildings. Which in theory could for example mean that just one building in the middle started to burn out extremely and by that heated the next building close to it enough for it to catch fire too. And then the next building, and so on.
They say that the building was under renovation, that the scaffolding use was bamboo and it may have helped to propagate the fire to the whole complex. But what started it is still speculation so far.
Liliea
The Living Force
Major Fire Engulfs Hong Kong Apartment Blocks
At least 36 killed in Hong Kong fire with 279 still missing in a major fire engulfing apartment blocks in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong, with 279 people not accounted for.More than 800 firefighters are at the scene trying to tackle the blaze at Wang Fuk Court - with Hong Kong's chief executive John Lee saying the fire is now coming under control.
Hong Kong buildings blaze kills 36, nearly 300 missing
The cause of the blaze was not immediately known, but it was fanned by green construction mesh and bamboo scaffolding - a mainstay of traditional Chinese architecture but subject to a phase-out in Hong Kong since March for safety reasons.
Police arrested three men on suspicion of manslaughter over the fire, public broadcaster RTHK said, without giving more details.
Working through the night, firefighters were struggling to reach upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex, which has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks, due to the intense heat.
CHINA'S XI URGES 'ALL-OUT' EFFORT AGAINST FIRE
Frames of scaffolding were seen tumbling to the ground as firefighters battled the blaze, while scores of fire engines and ambulances lined the road below the development.
From the mainland, China's President Xi Jinping urged an "all-out effort" to extinguish the fire and to minimise casualties and losses, China's state broadcaster CCTV said.
The fire department said that by late night the flames in three buildings were under control but remained untamed in four.
(...)
It was Hong Kong's worst fire since 41 people died in a commercial building in the Kowloon district in November 1996. That fire was caused by welding during internal renovations.
Hong Kong buildings blaze kills 36, nearly 300 missing
At least 36 people were killed and 279 were missing on Wednesday after Hong Kong's deadliest fire in three decades ripped through high-rise residential towers sheathed in flammable bamboo scaffolding, authorities said.
Bamboo scaffolding is very common in that region. There must be more to this story...
Ruth
The Living Force
On thing that can be guaranteed is that Chinese Authorities will lie about the number of dead and possibly even the cause of the fire.I wonder what started the fire. there are rumours that the fire started by cigarettes as the workers were smoking inside. However, an exploding lithium battery seems more probable, seeing that poor quality of electric vehicles in China are common. Also, with 4.500 people living there and a very old chinese population 36 deaths and 270~ people missing is hardly believable.
Nevertheless a terrible accident.
Ruth
The Living Force
These guys have noticed as startling increase in people deliberately lighting fires in China. Usually it's factories that are the target, when the employees are fed up about not being paid.
They also have a section called 'bollard report' because the Chinese Government is forced to put bollards up particualarly around schools in order to stop disaffected (and often mentally unhinged) citizens from deliberately targetting the innocent in "crimes against society". Apparently this is the only form of protest they are 'allowed', because the Government certainly isn't listening.
What this recent fire suggests to me is that this behaviour is escalating and the citizens of China are literally burning their country to the ground. Things are at crisis point over there and of course, the Government of China is attempting to say: "Nothing to see here". It looks increasingly like people's anger is reaching boiling point.
They also have a section called 'bollard report' because the Chinese Government is forced to put bollards up particualarly around schools in order to stop disaffected (and often mentally unhinged) citizens from deliberately targetting the innocent in "crimes against society". Apparently this is the only form of protest they are 'allowed', because the Government certainly isn't listening.
What this recent fire suggests to me is that this behaviour is escalating and the citizens of China are literally burning their country to the ground. Things are at crisis point over there and of course, the Government of China is attempting to say: "Nothing to see here". It looks increasingly like people's anger is reaching boiling point.
Maybe, maybe not: Hong Kong is still a separate entity from mainland China, and they are still uncensored, even though they are under increasing pressure from Beijing. It also depends on whether the information released serves or not the political agenda.
ishiki
Padawan Learner
Thanks for sharing. I watch their show regularly and was searching for one their video's to share this as well, but couldn't find it. They also talk alot about sloppy construction, relative new buildings and bridges failing and wide spread corruption in the chain, which makes construction companies cut safety issues and try to cover that up. I even saw a video of a styrofoom beam painted grey, so it could pass as steel.
CNA just released a more indepth video about why three people were arrested. Apparently they found styrofoom and plastics in the appartment buildings. If these materials have also been used widely in this project, it is no suprise that the whole building caught fire.
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In the article I read, it said that there were some high winds that blew sparks and such which started the fires in the other buildings. But, who knows if that is the case.
Whatever started the fire, one thing is for sure from this video: the bamboo scaffolding + net helped it to spread rapidly and grow into an inferno :(
270 people still missing according to ishiki's video... I guess we can count them as dead
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