Hong Kong's Grenfell Tower

I worked in Hong Kong Harbour District, and on the drive to the airport, there were hundreds of high-rise flats all along the right side of the road. They were very close together and several blocks deep as far as the eye can see. It went on for miles and miles along the road we were on. Easy to see that being very close to each other a fire would spread to others very quickly.

Very sad day for the poor people trapped there.

Babamaman

Once again money before safety by greedy developers

Quite. The Hong Kong Safety Board specify that netting used in construction must be fire retardant, however, nobody official seems to have checked that out. Consequently the contractors have used cheaper but tragically flammable netting with the tragic results. Very similar to Grenfell where cheaper cladding was used to save money as the recommended safer cladding was more expensive. Heads should roll, really, or is it because it has affected the older and poorer people in both countries? Perhaps they don't count as much as the wealthy in their swanky apartments.

Once again money before safety by greedy developers

I remember seeing bamboo scaffolding visiting DS and family when they lived in HK. The absolutely tragic fire was at a complex in the New Territories, not far from where they lived in the Clearwater Bay area. The company gave them a house there so they were fortunate not be housed in an apartment block. Some of the blocks are so tall they are above the clouds at times. My heart goes out to the families of those involved.

Interesting how many of us have lived in HK albeit years ago

Lived in high rises in Hong Kong, you also have to be araid on land slides that take out whole buildings. They don't necessaryly have to have been poor, rents are incredibly high and lad scarse even resonably we paid live like that.

With inflammable cladding involved this really is another Grenfell, only seven times worse. I just can't get over there being seven blocks. When you think of the loss, the heartache and all the investigations we had over here, they have a much bigger tragedy. We had 72 fatalities for just one block. How many will they have by the time it's over, just awful.😢

Excuse typos., sorry.

Smileless2012

I think it was the flammable netting and not the bamboo that was the issue.

Apparently there was flammable styrofoam cladding on some of the windows, which I highly flammable too.

Horrendous though this is -history repeating itself, -but I’m not so sure that arresting individuals so soon represents speedy justice. “They” do have form for scapegoating and this is never the answer.

I think it was the flammable netting and not the bamboo that was the issue.

I can remember the typhoons. All the schools closed down and we would get a few extra days at home when we should have been in the classroom.

Monica its flexibility (bamboo) means that it’s much safer during typhoons.
I don’t know if you were there for Wanda but it was very, very windy.

I was amazed to read that they still use bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong.

I lived in Hong Kong, as a child in the early 1950s. It was when there was a constant stream of refugees coming over the border from Mao's China by any means possible and the construction industry seemed to be building, mainly low rise - under 7 stories - buildings on every corner. Bamboo scaffolding and women in those wide coolie hats, their babies on their backs, doing hard heavy labour, are a clear memory.

The idea that in this age, they would still be using bamboo scaffolding and that is isn't restricted to small projects and small buildings, let alone using it on high rise buildings I find almost unbelievable. Our dreadful experience of Grenfell tower, gives an extra understanding of what people in Hong Kong must be feeling just now.

PamelaJ1

Dreadful, horrific thing to happen but perhaps it’s a bit early for us to be making comments about how the aftermath is handled.
As BlueBelle mentioned bamboo has been used for centuries and I can’t remember any incident before when bamboo was implicated in anything so tragic.
Health and safety issues may not be quite as rigorously followed as here but I’m just guessing.
Many years ago my dad was offered an incentive to allow a contractor to dig slightly swallower channels for drainage. I expect that may still go on in HK.
He refused which is why he retired to the north of England
instead of Tunbridge Wells!

Good for him and his scruples. Sadly, not everyone has them.

Dreadful, horrific thing to happen but perhaps it’s a bit early for us to be making comments about how the aftermath is handled.
As BlueBelle mentioned bamboo has been used for centuries and I can’t remember any incident before when bamboo was implicated in anything so tragic.
Health and safety issues may not be quite as rigorously followed as here but I’m just guessing.
Many years ago my dad was offered an incentive to allow a contractor to dig slightly swallower channels for drainage. I expect that may still go on in HK.
He refused which is why he retired to the north of England
instead of Tunbridge Wells!

I was horrified beyond measure seeing those fires. Hell on earth. Not just one block but seven, which is far worse. Imagine if seven Grenfels went up instead of one. Those poor people, the death toll will go up I'm sure. 😢

A lot of the residents are older people, too, perhaps not so able to move and evacuate quickly.

They have always used bamboo scaffolding I remember being impressed with how strong it was when I lived there in the late 60 s it’s obviously stayed the same
I lived in one of the high rise blocks we were on the eighth floor it wasn’t as high as the one involved now

Yes, bamboo scaffolding and not metal, will just have added to the risk.

It’s an appalling scene. Being trapped in a high rise on fire, a real life Towering Inferno, what a nightmare.