Hong Kong high rise fire

[Phil C. McNasty]

This is terrible, could be another Grenfell
There are 3 buildings on fire as far as I can tell.
Unknown amount of people trapped inside.
How can this happen in modern age of fireproof buildings??

At least 13 dead as fire engulfs Hong Kong tower blocks

Firefighters are struggling to put out the flames and say they are unsure when the blaze will be fully contained.

www.bbc.com

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1993675175246909936

 

[Indiana]

Bamboo scaffolding

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Now reports are saying 6 buildings on fire

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Bamboo scaffolding

Unreal

13 people killed in fire engulfing Hong Kong high-rise residential buildings, fire services say

Thirteen people have been killed in a fire that spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex.

apnews.com

Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight in Hong Kong at building construction and renovation projects, though the government said earlier this year that it would start phasing it out for public projects because of safety concerns

 

[richaceg]

I lived in HK for almost 9 months...there's a ton of shit on every fire exit too because those are where they leave all the garbage electronics...this was 20 years ago so not sure if that's still the norm but yes...every floor leaves their electronics, furnitures by the stairwells...some floors you have to go through the rummage to get down... i used to take the stairs from the 20th flr. up and down...that was my cardio as the elevators also stinks. I loved HK though...low crime, beautiful place. I lived in the new territories. missed that place.

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

There might be a 7th building on fire.

Live feed

 

[Intrinsic]

So unreal and sad.

 

[whynot888]

Apparently, the mesh used around the bamboo scaffolding was not fire rated. This is awful, i have a feeling the death toll will rise dramatically.

 

[massman]

Apparently, the mesh used around the bamboo scaffolding was not fire rated. This is awful, i have a feeling the death toll will rise dramatically.

Ya; apparently there are 4000 people living in that apartment complex. So the fire jumped from one building to the next via the scaffolding?? Good lord.

 

[anon1]

Seniors' complex, 65+

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

Apparently, the mesh used around the bamboo scaffolding was not fire rated. This is awful, i have a feeling the death toll will rise dramatically

Heads should roll over that

 

[unassuming]

Bamboo scaffolding

Rush Hour: “Chinese bamboo is very strong” #shorts #rushhour #movies #comedy #funny #short

Bekijk je favoriete video's, luister naar de muziek die je leuk vindt, upload originele content en deel alles met vrienden, familie en anderen op YouTube.

www.youtube.com

 

[Phil C. McNasty]

From CNN:

Dozens killed, hundreds missing: Rescuers are searching for hundreds of missing people after a fire raced through several high-rise buildings in a Hong Kong apartment complex, killing at least 44 people.

• Still burning: Some of the buildings in the complex, home to a large population of elderly residents, are still ablaze in what appears to be the city’s most deadly fire since World War II.

• Arrests made: Three men have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter in relation to the fire. Police accused the three of “gross negligence.”

 

[silentkisser]

I lived in HK for almost 9 months...there's a ton of shit on every fire exit too because those are where they leave all the garbage electronics...this was 20 years ago so not sure if that's still the norm but yes...every floor leaves their electronics, furnitures by the stairwells...some floors you have to go through the rummage to get down... i used to take the stairs from the 20th flr. up and down...that was my cardio as the elevators also stinks. I loved HK though...low crime, beautiful place. I lived in the new territories. missed that place.

Yeah, this is unfortunately a common thing, or at least it was.

Also, the buildings were made cheaply. A Toronto high rise will have or office building is supposed to have fire doors that will last an inferno for something like 2-4 hours. If kept closed, the fire will be contained to one area or one floor. Plus, there are other fire suppression systems like sprinklers to help extinguish a fire. I don't recall seeing anything like that in the older HK apartments...

I think the death toll for this is going to be higher than 300. I pray it isn't, but I think a ton of people probably got trapped in stairwells...

 

[richaceg]

Yeah, this is unfortunately a common thing, or at least it was.

Also, the buildings were made cheaply. A Toronto high rise will have or office building is supposed to have fire doors that will last an inferno for something like 2-4 hours. If kept closed, the fire will be contained to one area or one floor. Plus, there are other fire suppression systems like sprinklers to help extinguish a fire. I don't recall seeing anything like that in the older HK apartments...

I think the death toll for this is going to be higher than 300. I pray it isn't, but I think a ton of people probably got trapped in stairwells...

from the looks of it...it's going to be more...this is majority elderly residents.

 

[Shaquille Oatmeal]

So tragic. 75+ people dead.
I saw another video where one of the survivors was saying that the fire alarm did not go off either.

Initial police investigation revealed multiple potential fire safety violations at the estate:

• Styrofoam boards were installed covering windows on each floor near lift lobbies. Senior Police Superintendent Eileen Chung stated: "Everyone knows this material is inflammable... and could potentially accelerate the spread of fire, and it's suspected it may be one of the causes [of] the fire, and [why it] spread so quickly."[55][58]
• The protective netting and waterproof tarpaulins on building exteriors allegedly did not meet fire-resistance standards.[55][58]

Chung stated that police had reason to believe the contractor responsible had been "grossly negligent", which resulted in the incident and allowed the fire to spread uncontrollably, leading to significant casualties.[59][58]

 

[takrak]

All the Fire Alarms and Internal Standpipes were disconnected for building renovations and on top of the Bamboo Scaffolding, flammable protective mesh it was a Death Trap waiting to happen. My condolences to all the family members affected by this Tragic Fire.

 

[Ahri]

It’s very unfortunate that this happened
But just knowing how crammed and tightly packed those HK apartments can get and it being packed to the brim with stuff it’s not hard to see why an accident like this happened…