Hong Kong authorities yesterday rushed to remove mesh netting on all buildings undergoing renovation across the territory after the material was blamed for fanning a blaze last week that has killed at least 159 people.
The government late on Wednesday ordered the immediate removal of scaffolding nets on all public and private residential buildings by tomorrow, to “protect public safety and put residents and businesses’ minds at ease.”
The move comes as authorities investigate the cause of the territory’s deadliest fire in decades, having pointed to the mesh for fueling an inferno that engulfed seven high-rise apartment blocks at the Wang Fuk Court complex on Wednesday last week.
Photo: Reuters
Renovation work across Hong Kong would effectively grind to a standstill as inspectors verify the netting meets safety standards.
At a housing estate in Sha Tin, about a 15-minute drive from the Wang Fuk Court complex, workers began dismantling protective netting yesterday morning.
C.K. Lau, an 82 year old retiree living at the Sha Tin housing estate, said that removing the nets reduced the chance of a similar type of incident.
Photo: AFP
“The residents feel better if they [the government] agree to take it down. So they agreed to take it down within this week,” Lau said.
Police have arrested 21 people in their probe into the fire.
Among them are 15 from construction companies suspected of manslaughter, including two directors and an engineering consultant from Prestige Construction and Engineering Co (宏業建築工程), the main contractor at Wang Fuk Court.
A further six from the fire service installation contractor have been arrested on suspicion of fraud.
Residents of Wang Fuk Court, home to 4,600 people, were told by authorities last year they faced “relatively low fire risks” after they complained about fire hazards posed by the renovations, Hong Kong’s Department of Labour said.
More than 200 private buildings, along with more than 10 public housing and government buildings, would have to remove the netting, Hong Kong Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn (甯漢豪) said on Wednesday, adding that contractors must bear the costs.
The Hong Kong Buildings Department aims to issue a new code of practice next week, requiring all scaffold net materials to be sampled on site. The nets would only be installed after being certified by designated laboratories as compliant with requirements.
Authorities are also investigating suspected false safety documents for netting from a Shandong, China-based manufacturer used at two renovation sites in the city.
Of the 159 bodies found since the Wang Fuk Court blaze, authorities say 140 have been identified — 91 females and 49 males, aged one to 97.
Foreign domestic helpers from Indonesia and the Philippines are among 31 people still missing.
More than 2,900 residents have been put in temporary accommodation, with 1,152 staying in hostels, camps or hotel rooms, the government said.
Another 1,765 residents have moved into transitional housing units.
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