Large-scale fire in a Hong Kong neighborhood leaves at least 4 dead and 8 injured

At least four people died and eight were injured in a large fire in an urban development in the Tai Po district, in the north of Hong Kong, where the flames spread through the bamboo scaffolding installed on a block. The Police, cited by the local press, indicated that in addition to the victims, there are people trapped inside the three buildings affected by the fire, while the authorities raised the fire level to 4 on a scale of 1 to 5 due to its rapid evolution. A dense column of smoke and the collapse of parts of the scaffolding can be seen in images spread on social media and local media, while several nearby roads were closed to traffic.

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The fire, which started on the exterior scaffolding of several floors, was initially classified as a level 1 alarm, but quickly escalated to level 4 at 15:34 local time (07:34 GMT). The fire has drawn numerous people to the area, where some residents cover their faces to avoid inhaling the thick smoke, as they observe the damage to their homes. Fire Services Director Andy Yeung Yan-kin was heading to Prince of Wales Hospital to follow up on the case of a firefighter injured at the scene, according to sources consulted by the South China Morning Post. It was later confirmed that this firefighter was one of the four fatalities, along with three residents, in a provisional report at 17:00 local time (09:00 GMT). The Hong Kong Observatory maintained a red fire danger warning from this Monday, which warns of an extremely high risk of forest or urban fires, based on factors such as humidity, wind speed and the dryness of vegetation. Wang Fuk Court, the complex where the incident occurred, is immersed in a renovation process worth 330 million Hong Kong dollars (42 million dollars, 36.6 million euros), a proposal that generated discontent among numerous residents last year. The complex has 1,984 homes, which house about 4,000 residents. The fire has also impacted the surrounding area: the Tai Po Baptist Public School, a nearby primary school, has advised parents to avoid the area due to the fire. A recent background
This event is part of a series of fires related to scaffolding in Hong Kong, which have exposed vulnerabilities in construction and urban renovation structures. Last October, a fire on the exterior scaffolding of the Chinachem Tower forced the evacuation of dozens of people and left four hospitalized. The authorities from the Buildings Department then confirmed the structural integrity of the building, although they identified loose materials on the facade that required immediate removal. The renovation work on the tower, which included minor repairs to exterior walls and air conditioning supports, used protective covers, nets, and standard tarpaulins, but the fire was limited to the facade without affecting the interior. On that occasion, experts pointed to welding sparks on construction sites or discarded cigarette butts as possible origins of the disaster. These episodes underscore recurring concerns about safety on bamboo scaffolding — common in Hong Kong for its lightness and low cost —, often linked to renovation activities, flammable materials, or external ignition sources, in a context of high urban density and climatic conditions conducive to drought.