Bamboo scaffolding may be to blame for spread of Hong Kong tower block fire

Hong Kong is one of the last places in the world where bamboo is widely used by construction workersDeath toll in Hong Kong tower block fire rises to 36 with 279 reported missingA deadly fire in an apartment complex in Hong Kong appears to have spread in part because the buildings were sheathed in bamboo scaffolding, a traditional building material that the authorities have been phasing out for safety reasons.Dozens of people died on Wednesday in Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades. The blaze tore through the Wang Fuk Court residential complex in Tai Po, in the northern New Territories. The complex is made up of eight 31-storey towers containing about 2,000 flats that house about 4,800 people. Continue reading...