Hong Kong fire may speed up moves to end use of iconic bamboo scaffolding

BANGKOK AP While the exact cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex remains unknown questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire The blaze which has left at least dead has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique dating back over years Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often exposed at construction sites in Southeast Asia Hong Kong is one of the inadequate major cities where such scaffolding is a common sight Agents commented Wednesday s fire started on the external scaffolding of a -story tower in the suburb of Tai Po spread to the inside of the building and then to six other towers likely aided by windy conditions Personnel are scrutinizing why the scaffolding and other construction materials used in renovations to the outsides of the buildings caught fire Bamboo is a fast-growing plant that forms tall hollow stalks packed with strong fibers The bamboo poles harvested from -year-old bamboo plants are lightweight inexpensive and easy to transfer They re seen as easier to install and remove from the kinds of tight spaces detected in a city as densely populated as Hong Kong In the occurrence of an accident such as a collapse they are seen as less dangerous than heavy metal poles Bamboo scaffolding is also used for temporary structures such as outdoor theaters The bamboo poles are usually are imported from Zhaoxing in neighboring Guangdong province or from the nearby southern provinces of Guangxi or Guilin But even Hong Kong is moving toward phasing out use of bamboo A memo from Hong Kong s secretary for growth in March noted that the city planned to drive a wider adoption of metal scaffolding in masses building works progressively According to Construction Industry Council there are about registered bamboo scaffolders in Hong Kong Bamboo scaffolding-related accidents have claimed lives since City leader John Lee stated Thursday that leaders will meet with industry representatives to discuss a switch to metal scaffolding Eric Chan the Chief Secretary for Administration acknowledged that traditional bamboo scaffolding is inferior to metal for fire safety For safety reasons the administration believes that a complete switch to metal scaffolding should be implemented in suitable working environments he mentioned Ehsan Noroozinejad a professor at Western Sydney University s Urban Transformations Research Centre commented steel or aluminum scaffolding is non-combustible stronger and lasts longer though it is heavier slower to set up and costs more For high-risk occupied towers metal is the safer baseline Noroozinejad announced If bamboo is used it must come with strict fire and inspection controls In the circumstance of the blaze at the high-rise residential complex in Tai Po district on Wednesday bureaucrats have pointed to flammable construction materials such as plastic netting and Styrofoam panels used as window coverings as other expected factors in the rapid spread of the fire Police commented they arrested three men the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company on suspicion of manslaughter Leadership commented they suspected particular materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire It s clear that a large share but not all of the bamboo that had encased the buildings as they underwent renovations was incinerated This affair is full of lessons Devansh Gulati founder of the fire safety firm Greenberg Engineering recounted The Associated Press He commented just by chance the wrong conditions combined in Hong Kong allowing the bamboo scaffolding to become fuel for the fire Whatever the outcome of the inquiry into what caused the fire it appears the days of using bamboo in Hong Kong may be numbered AP journalist Anton Delgado in Bangkok contributed to this document Source