At Least 44 Dead in Century-Old Fire! Questioning Hong Kong's Hong Fu Garden: Why Has the Path to Fire Resistance Taken 15 Years Without Progress?

The raging fire leapt wildly across the exterior of the high-rise building, engulfing the entire structure in flames within just a few minutes. This is not a disaster movie, but the real overlap of the fire incidents at Hong Kong's Tai Po Hong Fu Court and the 2010 blaze at the Shanghai Jing'an teacher's apartment. Over fifteen years, similar tragedies have occurred in different cities, and the safety hazards of building exterior materials have always been a sword hanging overhead.

On November 26, a sudden level-five fire broke out at Hong Fu Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, resulting in the tragic loss of 44 lives and injuries to 45 people by the morning of the 27th. According to Hong Kong Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung, the spread of the fire after the building's exterior materials caught fire was "far more intense and rapid than some compliant materials." The police have arrested three engineering company executives on suspicion of manslaughter.

This is strikingly similar to the spread pattern of the Jing'an fire: back then, sparks from electric welding ignited polyurethane insulation materials, and the entire building was engulfed in flames in a short period. In this case, the Hong Kong police launched an investigation and discovered that the building's exterior walls had protective nets, waterproof tarps, and plastic sheets, which were suspected of not meeting fire safety standards. Another unaffected building had foam wrapping outside the windows of each elevator lobby on every floor, which is flammable and may accelerate the spread of fire. It cannot be ruled out that the foam was the reason for the rapid spread.

Source: Yicai Global

This tragedy once again sounds the alarm for the safety of building exterior materials. Whether it's the scaffolding used in construction, protective nets, or insulation materials, every detail is related to the life safety of the residents of the entire building. As a professional media outlet in the plastics industry, we can't help but ask: Why do such accidents keep happening? What kind of materials are truly capable of protecting the safety of residents?

01 Construction safety net and waterproof tarpaulin, safety and risk are only a thin line apart.

On November 26 at 2:52 PM, several residents reported black smoke coming from the scaffolding on the exterior wall of Hong Cheung House, part of Hong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong. The fire alarm was raised to level three within just 10 minutes. Half an hour later, the fire had spread up to a height of 15 floors, and the alarm was officially raised to level four.

Under the influence of the dry northeast wind, the flames raced upwards at a speed of two floors per minute, forming a "fire dragon" that shot straight to the top of the building. In the subsequent police investigation,There are significant issues with the fire resistance performance of the building facade materials.Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung pointed out that not only did the exterior wall materials spread unusually quickly after catching fire.Some foam boards were affixed to the glass windows of unaffected estates and buildings.It also appears unusual.

In construction and maintenance processes, protective nets, waterproof tarps, and plastic sheets are widely used. These materials are intended to protect buildings and ensure worker safety, but if selected improperly, they can instead become conduits for the spread of fire.

Protective nets, waterproof tarpaulins, and plastic sheets are all temporary covering and protective materials at construction sites, but their materials and fire hazard levels differ significantly.

Safety netIts main function is to prevent falling objects from high altitudes and to prevent personnel from falling. The mainstream material isHigh-density polyethylene (HDPE）OrPolypropylenePP）Woven from this type of polyolefin material, which is flammable by itself but can be modified to meet the flame-retardant (B1 level) standard. The risk lies in that inferior ordinary plastic nets will quickly melt, shrink, and form fireballs when exposed to fire, igniting combustible materials below.

Waterproof canvas (dustproof cloth)Tarpaulin)Usually byPolyesterPET) or Oxford clothAs a base fabric, surface covering.Polyvinyl chloridePVC) or polyethylene (PECoatingTo achieve waterproofing. This is a material with a very high risk in fires. Especially PVC tarpaulin, which not only spreads flames rapidly when burned but also produces a large amount of smoke and toxic hydrogen chloride gas due to the volatilization of plastic, accompanied by molten drippings that can ignite, greatly exacerbating the fire.

Plastic sheet (film)Mostly simple.Low-density polyethyleneLDPEFilmIt has a lightweight texture. It is the most dangerous of the three, easily ignited by small fire sources such as welding sparks and cigarette butts, burning quickly and generating a lot of heat, as if a "flame runway" has been laid in the air.

In the report of this fire incident, it was mentioned: In September 2024, some residents consulted the relevant departments about the flame retardant issue of scaffold nets. The Commissioner for Labour responded that the function of the protective curtain (scaffold nets) installed on the scaffold is to limit the range of falling objects and protect people from being hit by falling materials, tools, and debris.Currently, the Labour Department's safety regulations applicable to construction sites do not cover fire resistance standards for scaffolding or any materials. The response also mentioned that, based on inspections of the site, the maintenance work does not require hot work processes, the use of open flames, or flammable materials, and appropriate firefighting facilities are available on site. Therefore, the risk of fire occurring in the scaffolding is relatively low.The Labour Department has also reminded the relevant contractors to implement adequate fire prevention measures on site to prevent the occurrence of fires.

It is worth noting that in October this year, a third-degree fire occurred in a building in Central, Hong Kong. Subsequently, the Buildings Department of Hong Kong issued a notice to all recognized architectural professionals and registered contractors, requesting an immediate review of the fire-retardant performance of materials such as protective nets, protective screens, and waterproof tarpaulins used on building exteriors to prevent construction site fire risks. The notice requires that all protective materials used on the exteriors of buildings undergoing construction, demolition, or renovation must meet recognized fire-retardant standards.

Image: Response from the maintenance party on how to handle the issue of construction workers smoking (Source: Red Star News)

A homeowner from Hongfuyuan introduced that they have repeatedly found construction workers smoking inside the bamboo scaffolding and have reported it to the maintenance party.At a press conference for a project at Hongfu Yuan, Hongye Construction Company once responded to the issue of how to handle workers smoking, which caused discomfort to the residents.The company responded that a smoke-free policy has been implemented in the main construction site area (including eight buildings and material storage areas) to prevent the fire risk caused by improperly discarded cigarette butts.The contractor has internal guidelines for handling violations of smoking regulations, and both the employer and the engineering consultant have the authority to order the permanent removal of the violators from the site. Any person who suffers discomfort due to such violations may file a complaint with the contractor, engineering consultant, or management office.

In short, there were significant regulatory lapses by the relevant departments in Hong Kong prior to the fire. In September 2024, the Labour Department responded to residents' inquiries, stating that current regulations do not set fire-retardant standards for scaffolding and believed that the fire risk was low. However, after the Central fire in October, the Buildings Department urgently required all construction sites to inspect the fire-retardant performance of exterior wall protection materials, which exposed the reality of the lack of standards. At the same time, despite contractors claiming that a no-smoking policy was implemented at the construction site, owners actually observed workers smoking inside the bamboo scaffolding. This indicates a significant gap between regulatory requirements and actual enforcement, with serious shortcomings in preventive measures, laying hidden dangers for the tragedy.

02 Bamboo scaffolding, the conflict between traditional craftsmanship and modern safety

In the fire at Wong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, the bamboo scaffolding became the main conduit for the rapid spread of the flames.

The investigation found that the fire originated from the bamboo scaffolding on the exterior wall of the 10th floor of Hongchang Pavilion. The bamboo material itself, with an ignition point of around 300°C, quickly formed a three-dimensional fire when it came into contact with the exterior wall insulation material in a dry and strong wind environment, due to the failure to apply flame-retardant paint as required. More critically, the narrow gap of only 0.5 meters between the scaffolding and the wall (below the safety standard of 1 meter) created a "chimney effect," causing the flames to rise upwards at a speed of 1.5-2 meters per second. Meanwhile, the aging fire system inside the building (with insufficient water pressure in some fire hydrants) further delayed the firefighting efforts.

Behind this, there is undoubtedly the historical and realistic logic of Hong Kong's widespread use of bamboo scaffolding. On one hand, bamboo is inexpensive, lightweight, and easily sourced in the Hong Kong and Macau regions; on the other hand, bamboo scaffolding is flexible and can be quickly assembled by skilled workers, meeting the demands of Hong Kong's dense old building renovations. Additionally, "scaffolding" is a non-material cultural heritage in Hong Kong, and many skilled workers have long relied on bamboo scaffolding, leading to a solidified industry ecosystem. Industry insiders point out that the flexibility and corrosion resistance of bamboo (which is more rust-resistant than metal in the coastal humid environment) and its characteristic of not getting too hot in summer make it a practical choice in certain scenarios. However, these advantages come at the cost of sacrificing fire safety—bamboo is flammable and prone to decay, and the close proximity of buildings in Hong Kong, along with the practice of covering entire buildings with scaffolding, further amplifies the fire risk.

Unlike Hong Kong,China mainland since2021The use of bamboo and wood scaffolding for exterior wall projects has been completely banned this year.In mainland China, flame-retardant steel pipe scaffolding systems are commonly used, including steel pipe scaffoldings with couplers, bowl buckle scaffoldings, and door-type steel pipe scaffoldings. Although these metal scaffoldings are more expensive, they have excellent fire-resistant properties, fundamentally preventing the formation of "heavenly fire ladders."

After the fire, Hong Kong undoubtedly needs to reassess the applicability boundaries of bamboo scaffolding: for high-rise buildings or projects using flammable materials on exterior walls, priority should be given to using flame-retardant metal scaffolding (such as the steel pipe coupler type and bowl buckle system commonly used in mainland China), and explore transitional solutions such as bamboo-steel composite scaffolding. Additionally, safety regulations must be strictly enforced, including mandatory application of fireproof coatings, maintaining safe distances, and equipping construction sites with adequate firefighting equipment.

03 The Application Dilemma of Foam Adhesive in the Construction Industry: Cost, Regulation, and the Safety Paradox

The polyurethane foam sealant mentioned in the investigation of the Hong Kong Hong Fu fire also exposed safety hazards in this fire.

Source of the image: People's Government of Xingyi City

Foam sealant, due to its multiple functions such as filling, sealing, and insulation, has become a commonly used material for the installation of building doors and windows as well as for hole repairs. However, behind its widespread application lies serious safety hazards and industry challenges.The flame retardant performance is not up to standard.The prevalence of inferior foam adhesives is rampant, while products that truly meet fire safety standards are difficult to promote due to cost and regulatory issues.

The flame retardancy of foam adhesives relies on the addition of flame retardants such as TCPP; however, high-quality flame retardants significantly increase costs. For example, flame-retardant polyurethane boards require the addition of TCPP, which is much more expensive than ordinary raw materials. To capture market share, some companies use low flame-retardant or even non-flame-retardant raw materials to produce foam adhesives. Although these inferior products are cheap, they are highly flammable and release a large amount of toxic gases when burned.

Although national standards have clear classifications for the combustion performance of building materials and require witness sampling inspections for incoming materials, there are loopholes in the regulatory process. For instance, some enterprises submit samples made of high flame-retardant materials for inspection, but use inferior raw materials in actual production. Additionally, the regulation of foam adhesives mainly focuses on the production side, with weak supervision during the construction process, allowing flammable materials to easily enter the construction site.

Technically, the solutions for flame-retardant foam adhesives are mature, but their promotion in the construction sector is proving difficult.On the contrary, high-standard fields such as cold chain logistics and LNG vessels generally use TCPP flame retardants due to stringent safety requirements. This differentiation exposes the downside of the construction industry’s extreme sensitivity to costs—developers tend to opt for short-term low prices in the absence of strict regulations, instead of prioritizing long-term safety.

Industry insiders have pointed out that foam glue, due to its relatively low overall usage, may not be the main cause of the recent fire in Hong Kong. However, they also warn that in recent years, various types of decorative insulation panels (often using polystyrene boards with exterior panels) have become very popular in the construction industry.Regular manufacturers use flame retardants such as brominated polystyrene to enable styrofoam boards to meet standards.B1Class (Flame Retardant)​ Standard, but a large number of non-compliant products in the market misuse low flame-retardant or even non-flame-retardant materials, posing serious safety hazards.

Decorative Insulated Integrated Panel (Source: Hebei Shenjun Thermal Insulation Materials Co., Ltd.)

In summary, the decorative insulation integrated board itself is an excellent product, but its safety entirely depends on the true fire-retardant rating of the insulation core material. Only through strict regulation and a sense of responsibility across the entire industry can we ensure that the beauty does not hide a deadly danger.

Conclusion: Every tragedy should become the beginning of change.

The charred exterior of Hong Kong's Hongfuyuan and the remnants of the Jing'an fire from fifteen years ago reflect the same unfinished journey towards fire resistance. We already possess the technology and standards for fire prevention, yet we repeatedly succumb to the calculations of cost, regulatory oversights, and a mindset of complacency. The essence of architecture is to shelter life, not to bury hope.

As cities continue to grow taller, safety standards must not stagnate. From a piece of plastic sheeting, a protective net, to the entire building's fire protection system, every step requires the industry to uphold responsibility, regulators to wield their swords, and the public to maintain continuous attention. The road to fire resistance is long and challenging, but only by turning every tragedy into an opportunity for change can we make cities truly safe fortresses.

Editor: Lily

Reference sources: Zhuanshu Shijie, Hongxing News, First Financial, Xingyi Municipal Government Portal, National Standard GB 8624-2012 "Classification of Combustion Performance of Building Materials and Products," National Standard GB 55037-2022 "General Regulations on Fire Protection for Buildings," Report on the Jingan District Jiaozhou Road Teachers' Apartment Fire Accident, Official Response from the Hong Kong Labour Department on Flame Retardant Standards for Canopies, Notice issued by the Hong Kong Buildings Department to recognized building professionals and registered contractors, etc.