Blast-scarred Tianjin takes ‘profound lessons’ from deadly Hong Kong blaze

The drive by the Binhai New Area district comes days after a catastrophic high-rise blaze in Hong Kong claimed more than 120 lives.

District officials attending a fire safety meeting on Saturday were shown footage and a preliminary report from the blaze in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district, which took firefighters more than 40 hours to bring under control.

Over 1,000 queue to pay respects to Tai Po fire victims

What was to become Hong Kong’s deadliest blaze in decades started on Wednesday afternoon. The flames spread quickly, engulfing seven of eight 31-storey residential towers undergoing renovations at the Wang Fuk Court complex.

At least 128 people, including a firefighter, have been confirmed dead. Another 79 people were injured, and 150 others are still unaccounted for.

Flammable construction materials and malfunctioning alarm systems are believed to have been major factors in driving up the toll.

Authorities have stated that highly flammable styrofoam materials used to seal windows as part of the renovations caused the fire to spread rapidly.

The Hong Kong government has launched criminal investigations to determine the cause of the blaze, with eight individuals arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. They include consultants, scaffolding subcontractors and a middleman for the renovation project.

South China Morning Post