Hong Kong authorities have required the immediate dismantling of protective netting from all renovation sites by Saturday, intensifying safety measures after the territory’s most devastating fire in living memory at the Wang Fuk Court residential complex.
This catastrophic event last Wednesday claimed 159 lives, leaving 31 individuals unaccounted for, as flames raced across non-compliant mesh and other flammable elements on the bamboo scaffolding shrouding the towers.
Preliminary examinations of more than 20 netting samples revealed that seven failed fire-retardancy tests, especially those from the four hardest-hit blocks, compounded by polystyrene window panels that accelerated the conflagration.
Residents had lodged complaints about these coverings for almost a year, triggering 16 Labour Department inspections since July 2024, including formal warnings issued just seven days prior to the blaze.
Bamboo scaffolding, a longstanding practice despite claiming 24 workers’ lives between 2018 and 2025, now faces tougher oversight with mandatory certifications, frequent site audits, and harsher fines.
The directive affects approximately 200 private residences and 10 public buildings under refurbishment, extending to around 300 sites citywide to prevent future horrors.
Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho announced updated protocols for scaffolding material assessments next week, declaring, “I assure the public that we will chase to the end the accountability of any contractors using substandard scaffolding mesh.” Samples from the site are already undergoing laboratory analysis, she confirmed.
Police investigations have led to at least 15 manslaughter arrests, with efforts now targeting debris from collapsed bamboo structures beyond the interiors of the complex’s seven towers.