Bamboo Scaffolding and The Hong Kong Fire Trap

Bamboo scaffolding helped to build Hong Kong’s city that has more skyscrapers in the world, almost 600, near double the quantity of New York City.

The professionals that prepare the scaffolding are the highest payroll construction workers in Hong Kong; they can make 150 USD a day.

Professionals in this millinery art can build enough scaffolding to reach the top of a 30 floor building in one day. This technique and the bamboo material are easily made and cheap, not just for the construction and completion of buildings but are now used mostly to refurbish the old apartment towers. Last week, in just a few minutes 7 buildings with their residents caught fire, killing hundreds of people; some of the dead will be found while others will be declared as disappeared. 

In mainland China, bamboo scaffolding has been legally and officially banned since 2022 in consideration of the high inflamability risk, and for decades the Chinese authorities have been requesting the replacement of bamboo for steel or alloy.

The question is: How can a city like Hong Kong with a density of over 7,000 people for square km, and with prices for square meter with a median cost of 21,000 USD, one of the most expensive in the planet, be so irrational and deplorable in concerns about the security of those who are fortunate enough to afford an apartment?

One thing is culture, traditions, and another is to try to confuse these values and use it as propaganda to save money and ending with the killing of hundreds of people in minutes.