On November 26, 2025, a fire at Hong Fu Court in Tai Po District, Hong Kong, spread rapidly in a very short time, claiming multiple lives, including a brave firefighter. In this fire, bamboo scaffolding and protective nets acted as deadly accelerants, affecting five adjacent buildings within 12 minutes, ultimately resulting in a tragic level 5 fire.
This tragedy has exposed long-standing hidden risks in the safety management of high-density cities, prompting society as a whole to deeply reflect on the safety standards of scaffolding materials.
01 Bamboo Scaffolding: The Hidden Safety Risk in Cities
In Hong Kong, bamboo scaffolding has long been a common sight in building maintenance, yet the fire risks behind it have not received enough attention.
Bamboo itself is highly flammable, with an ignition point of only about 150°C, far lower than steel. In dry weather and under the influence of wind, it can easily become an accelerant for fires.
When bamboo scaffolding is combined with flammable materials such as nylon windbreak nets and waterproof tarpaulins, it creates a continuous combustible facade that runs through the entire building. Once a fire breaks out, the flames can rapidly spread vertically along the bamboo scaffolding, rising 20 floors within 10 minutes, forming a truly deadly 'ladder to death'.
In the Hongfu Garden fire, the narrow gap of only 0.5 meters between the bamboo shed and the exterior wall intensified the 'chimney effect,' causing hot gases to rise rapidly vertically. Meanwhile, molten fragments of the plastic protective net fell from a height, igniting lower areas and further accelerating the spread of the fire. In contrast, fire-resistant steel frames have a natural advantage in fire performance.
02 Systemic Risk: Multiple Hazards from Materials to Regulation
This disaster was not accidental, but the result of multiple systemic risks piling up.
Hong Kong's Building Safety Ordinance does not mandate the banning of bamboo scaffolding or require fire-retardant treatment, whereas mainland China had already promoted the replacement of bamboo and wooden scaffolding with fire-resistant steel scaffolding as early as 2021. The lag in regulation and the lack of standards have led to bamboo scaffolding still being widely used in Hong Kong.
One month before the Hung Fuk Court fire, a similar bamboo structure fire incident occurred at the Hua Mao Building in Central, but this warning did not translate into effective preventative action.
The aging fire protection system in old buildings has further increased the risk. The involved Hongfuyuan building is 42 years old, and maintenance was carried out on eight buildings simultaneously, violating the safety principle of phased construction. Some fire hydrants in the building have insufficient water pressure, making it impossible to effectively suppress the fire. Firefighters had to carry hoses up 31 floors to launch a direct attack, which greatly affected the efficiency of the rescue operation.
Among the public housing estates built in Hong Kong in the 1980s, as many as 42% of the buildings in Tai Po District have aging fire protection systems, a proportion even higher than the Hong Kong-wide average of 38%.
03 Costs and Industry Inertia: Barriers to the Promotion of Flame-Retardant Materials
Why does Hong Kong continue to widely use bamboo scaffolding despite knowing the fire risks associated with this material?
First of all is the cost factor. Bamboo scaffolding is relatively cheap and easy to assemble, whereas metal system scaffolding costs several times more. For the numerous maintenance projects of old buildings in Hong Kong, the increase in material costs would directly lead to a significant rise in repair expenses.
Secondly, there is industry inertia, which is also an important factor hindering reform. The technique of bamboo scaffolding construction has been listed as an intangible cultural heritage in Hong Kong, forming a complete industrial chain. Scaffolding craftsmen have long relied on this traditional craft, and some veteran workers worry that new technologies might affect their income and are unwilling to adopt metal scaffolding. There have even been reports indicating that the Bamboo Scaffolding Association, to some extent, restricts the use of materials other than bamboo.
Finally, the low usage rate of flame-retardant materials is also related to cost. A protective net that meets flame-retardant standards costs about 90 yuan, while a regular net without flame-retardant features costs just over 50 yuan. Some construction companies, in order to save costs, choose to use regular nets without flame-retardant features, thereby creating safety hazards.
04 Rectification and Outlook: From Material Upgrades to System Supervision
In response to the frequent scaffold fire incidents, it is necessary to address the issue from multiple levels, including materials, supervision, and enforcement. Public opinion strongly calls for the gradual phasing out of bamboo scaffolds and the promotion of fire-retardant metal scaffolds. Experiments have shown that fire-retardant coatings can cause bamboo scaffolds to char rather than ignite explosively when exposed to fire, effectively slowing down the spread of flames.
In March 2025, the Hong Kong Development Bureau issued a notice requiring that all public works tenders must specify the use of metal scaffolding, with bamboo scaffolding only allowed in special cases after detailed justification. This policy change marks the beginning of Hong Kong's gradual phasing out of traditional bamboo scaffolding.
Strengthening regulation is equally crucial. The Hong Kong Fire Services Department has launched an inspection of construction scaffolds across the city and plans to revise regulations to mandate the removal of flammable materials from construction sites and the installation of real-time fire alarm monitoring systems. To address the funding gap of HKD 1.2 billion for fire safety upgrades in old buildings, it is necessary to establish dedicated financial support to accelerate the fire safety renovation of aging public housing. Maintenance should also be carried out in phases to avoid multiple buildings being scaffolded at the same time, thereby reducing risks.
The establishment of an interdepartmental collaboration mechanism is also essential. It is necessary to integrate the responsibilities of the Fire Services Department, the Buildings Department, and the construction parties, and to establish a 'hot work permit system' and a 24-hour monitoring system.
At the same time, strengthen fire safety education for construction workers to prevent behaviors that could cause fires, such as smoking in prohibited areas and carelessly discarding cigarette butts.
Conclusion
A major fire resulted in 44 deaths, 45 injuries, and over 200 people missing. On the 27th, the Hong Kong Fire Services Department stated that firefighting efforts are ongoing based on the situation at the scene and are expected to continue at least until the evening. These costs should serve as a wake-up call for a comprehensive review of the city's safety system. Building a truly fire-safe system will ensure that no construction site is a potential fire hazard and that no family lives under hidden dangers.
When a bamboo scaffold that can ignite at 150°C encounters an aging fire hydrant, this tragedy is no longer just a natural disaster, but a man-made one as well. Phasing out high-risk building materials, closing regulatory gaps, and solidifying the chain of responsibility have become life-or-death issues that city managers can no longer evade.