Hong Kong Fire Leaves City Grieving: Key Takeaways From The Wang Fuk Court Tragedy

HONG KONG has been near reeling, heartbroken and bereft aft what is being described arsenic nan deadliest occurrence successful 3 decades engulfed 7 of 8 high-rise buildings successful nan Wang Fuk Court, a cluster of residential skyscrapers connected Wednesday, November 26. After much than a time of battling nan behemoth blaze, a decease toll that presently stands astatine 128, and nan apprehension of 8 suspects, nan hundreds of firefighters and first responders managed to put retired nan flames astatine 10:18am successful Hong Kong section time, aliases 3:18am Central European Time connected Friday, November 28.

Death toll astatine 128, 200 still missing and 79 injured

Some 200 group are still unaccounted for arsenic first responders are launching rescue operations to find survivors. The decease toll is expected to proceed to rise. Residents of nan buildings were rushed to shelters, wherever they are still anxiously awaiting news from their neighbours and loved ones, and questioning really specified a large-scale disaster could person happened. At adjacent hospitals, 79 group are being treated for injuries.

The 8 31-storey buildings were location to immoderate 4,600 residents successful much than 2,000 flats.

Scaffolding and flammable materials believed to beryllium astatine nan bosom of nan incident

The fire, though nan investigation into its root has only conscionable been launched, is believed to person dispersed quickly owed to nan bamboo scaffolding group up connected nan exterior of nan buildings, a worldly communal successful nan usage of building and useful successful nan city. The authorities of Hong Kong had antecedently announced intentions to shape retired nan usage of nan worldly owed to concerns astir its safety. Additionally, investigators recovered “extremely flammable” styrofoam blocks covering immoderate of nan windows of 1 of nan buildings.

Nearly a twelve arrested for suspected negligence, manslaughter

The Hong Kong anti-corruption agency arrested a full of eleven people, 7 men and 1 female from 40 to 63 years old, nether suspicion of gross negligence, and 3 men connected suspicion of manslaughter. The group included scaffolding subcontractors, board of a advisor company, and task managers who were supervising nan buildings’ renovation.

Additionally, immoderate first responders recovered that nan occurrence alarms successful galore of nan flats had been non-operational, posing a important information concern.

Over nan adjacent fewer weeks, an charismatic investigation will beryllium launched into nan root and improvement of nan disaster. Additionally, nan authorities of Hong Kong has announced a strategy to supply assistance to nan victims who person mislaid their homes and each their belongings.

Countless volunteers are connected nan segment and helping nan victims successful shelters. Flowers are besides being laid astatine nan tract of nan disaster arsenic nan metropolis of Hong Kong mourns.

Parallels to nan Grenfell Tower and nan Valencia building artifact fires

The calamity brings to mind nan occurrence of nan Grenfell artifact of flats successful North Kensington, West London, which saw a 24-storey building pain for 60 hours successful June of 2017. A full of 72 group died and much than 70 were injured successful what was declared a awesome incident, pinch much than 250 London Fire Brigade firefighters, 70 occurrence engines from stations crossed Greater London, much than 100 London Ambulance Service crews successful astatine slightest 20 ambulances, and master paramedics from nan Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team connected nan segment to tackle nan flames.

The Grenfell Tower occurrence was started by an electrical responsibility successful a refrigerator connected nan 4th floor, and, overmuch for illustration nan Wang Fuk Court disaster, was quickly dispersed by nan highly flammable foam insulation positioned astir model jambs. It was nan deadliest occurrence successful nan UK since nan 1988 Piper Alpha oil-platform fire.

In February of past year, residents successful nan Campanar neighbourhood of Valencia besides knowledgeable a akin occurrence that tore done a residential building, pinch nan flammable cladding connected nan extracurricular of nan building believed to person helped quickly dispersed nan uncontrollable flames. Ten group died and 15 were injured successful nan tragedy.

Additionally, connected nan aforesaid time that nan Wang Fuk Court occurrence collapsed out, different occurrence collapsed retired astatine nan Santa Lucía Hospital successful Cartagena, terrifying patients and workers. The Santa Lucía Hospital occurrence was besides believed to person been facilitated by nan flammable exterior scaffolding.

Key takeaways from nan Hong Kong tragedy

While a general investigation has only conscionable been launched, nan incident has brought nan matter of building information and building regulations into mobility for galore of nan stunned residents and saddened onlookers. Hong Kong’s codification for nan widely-used bamboo scaffolding requires that it beryllium fire-retardant, though nan codification is not an existent law. Hong Kong authorities authorities their suspicions that building materials recovered astatine nan sites, including integrative covers, canvases, and protective nets, grounded to meet information regulations.

The nonaccomplishment of nan occurrence alarms successful galore of nan flats besides called into mobility nan information regulations and attraction procedures of nan buildings. Despite smelling nan fume and moreover seeing flames connected nan scaffolding extracurricular their windows, galore surviving residents of nan buildings are claiming ne'er to person heard their fume alarms ring.

The calamity has highlighted nan value of building information regulations and nan abundant usage of flammable materials successful scaffolding and building works. As Hong Kong and group from each complete nan world mourn their family and friends progressive successful nan fire, onlookers anxiously await revelations from nan upcoming investigations and dream that building companies, architects, and authorities support nan victims astatine nan forefront of their minds moving forward.

In Spain, nan interest of fires during nan twelvemonth seems to beryllium ever-present. The state saw astir 400,000 hectares of onshore mislaid owed to uncontrollable wildfires this summer.

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