Hong Kong fire may speed up moves to end use of iconic bamboo scaffolding

BANGKOK (AP) — While the exact cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex remains unknown, questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire.

The blaze, which has left at least 65 dead, has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique dating back over 1,000 years.

Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often found at construction sites in Southeast Asia. Hong Kong is one of the few major cities where such scaffolding is a common sight.

Officials said Wednesday's fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-story tower in the suburb of Tai Po, spread to the inside of the building and then to six other towers, likely aided by windy conditions.

Officials are investigating why the scaffolding and other construction materials used in renovations to the outsides of the buildings caught fire.

The bamboo poles, harvested from 3-year-old bamboo plants, are lightweight, inexpensive and easy to transport. They’re seen as easier to install and remove from the kinds of tight spaces found in a city as densely populated as Hong Kong.

In the case of an accident, such as a collapse, they are seen as less dangerous than heavy metal poles. Bamboo scaffolding is also used for temporary structures, such as outdoor theaters.

The bamboo poles are usually are imported from Zhaoxing, in neighboring Guangdong province, or from the nearby southern provinces of Guangxi or Guilin.

But even Hong Kong is moving toward phasing out use of bamboo.

A memo from Hong Kong’s secretary for development in March noted that the city planned to “drive a wider adoption of metal scaffolding in public building works progressively.”

According to Construction Industry Council, there are about 2,500 registered bamboo scaffolders in Hong Kong. Bamboo scaffolding-related accidents have claimed 23 lives since 2018.

Ehsan Noroozinejad, a professor at Western Sydney University’s Urban Transformations Research Centre, said steel or aluminum scaffolding is non-combustible, stronger and lasts longer, though it is heavier, slower to set up and costs more.

“For high-risk, occupied towers, metal is the safer baseline,” Noroozinejad said. “If bamboo is used, it must come with strict fire and inspection controls.”

In the case of the blaze at the high-rise residential complex in Tai Po district on Wednesday, officials have pointed to flammable construction materials such as plastic netting and Styrofoam panels used as window coverings as other potential factors in the rapid spread of the fire.

Police said they arrested three men — the directors and an engineering consultant of a construction company — on suspicion of manslaughter. Authorities said they suspected some materials on the exterior walls of the high-rise buildings did not meet fire resistance standards, allowing the unusually fast spread of the fire.

It’s clear that a large share, but not all, of the bamboo that had encased the buildings as they underwent renovations was incinerated.

“This incident is full of lessons,” Devansh Gulati, founder of the fire safety firm Greenberg Engineering, told The Associated Press. He said “just by chance, the wrong conditions combined” in Hong Kong allowing the bamboo scaffolding to become fuel for the fire.

Whatever the outcome of the investigation into what caused the fire, it appears the days of using bamboo in Hong Kong may be numbered.

AP journalist Anton Delgado in Bangkok, Thailand contributed to this report.

Burned buildings are seen at the scene of the fire that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A burned building is seen at the scene of the fire that started Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

First responders work the scene of a fire at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories on Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Wednesday, Nov. 26 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Firefighters work to extinguish a fire which broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Police officers stand guard at the scene of a fire which broke out Wednesday at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

A firefighter works to extinguish a fire that broke out at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Fire sparks coming off from the burned building at the fire scene at Wang Fuk Court, a residential estate in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Nov. 27 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four astronauts strapped into NASA's new moon rocket and awaited liftoff Wednesday on humanity’s first lunar trip in more than half a century.

The three Americans and one Canadian waved and shaped their hands into hearts as they emerged from crew quarters to cheers and said goodbye to their families. The crowd applauded and cheered again as the astronauts boarded their astrovan for the nine mile (14-kilometer) ride to the launch pad.

Commander Reid Wiseman thanked the throngs who gathered to see them off.

“It's a great day for us. It's a great day for this team,” Wiseman called out.

Tensions were high earlier in the day as hydrogen fuel started flowing into the rocket. Dangerous hydrogen leaks erupted during a countdown test earlier this year, forcing a lengthy flight delay.

To NASA's relief, no significant hydrogen leaks occurred. The launch team loaded more than 700,000 gallons of fuel (2.6 million liters) into the 32-story Space Launch System rocket on the pad, a smooth operation that set the stage for the Artemis II crew to board.

A problem cropped up with the rocket's flight-termination system with only two hours remaining in the countdown. Commands weren't getting through to the system, which is needed to send a self-destruct signal in case the rocket veers off course and threatens populated areas. But the issue was quickly resolved, according to NASA.

“It is time to fly,” Wiseman declared on the eve of launch via X. Favorable weather was forecast.

The four will fly around the moon without stopping or even orbiting — then head straight back for a Pacific splashdown. They will set a new distance record for the farthest humans have traveled from Earth as they zoom some 4,000 miles (6,400 kilometers) beyond the moon and then hang a U-turn.

Astronauts last flew to the moon during Apollo 17 in 1972.

Artemis II is the opening shot of NASA's grand plans for a permanent moon base. The space program is aiming for a moon landing near the lunar south pole in 2028.

“The next era of exploration begins,” NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X.

Best wishes already have started to pour in, including from England's King Charles III to Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

Hansen will become the first non-U. S. citizen to launch to the moon. The crew also includes Christina Koch and Victor Glover, the first woman and first Black astronaut, respectively, destined for the moon.

“In this historic moment, you stand as a bridge between nations and generations,” the king wrote in a letter to Hansen, “and I commend you for your courage, discipline and vision that have brought you to this threshold.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Astronauts, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, right, and Pilot Victor Glover wave to family members as they leave the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artermis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Artemis 2 crew member Commander Reid Wiseman holds "Rise" after the crew's arrival at the Kennedy Space Center Friday, March 27, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Commander Reid Wiseman poses for a photo with family members after leaving the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artermis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

Astronauts, from left, Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen, of Canada,, Pilot Victor Glover, Commander Reid Wiseman, and Mission Specialist Christina Koch pose for a photo after leaving the Operations and Checkout Building for a trip to Launch Pad 39-B and a planned liftoff on NASA's Artermis II moon rocket at the Kennedy Space Center Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

NASA's Artermis II moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center hours ahead of a planned launch attempt Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)

This photo provided by NASA shows NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Artemis II commander, from left, Victor Glover, Artemis II pilot, Christina Koch, Artemis II mission specialist, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen, Artemis II mission specialist, right, in a group photograph as they visit NASA's Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft, Monday, March 30, 2026, at Launch Complex 39B of NASA's Kennedy Space Center, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (Bill Ingalls/NASA via AP)

NASA's Artermis II moon rocket sits on Launch Pad 39-B at the Kennedy Space Center hours ahead of planned liftoff Wednesday, April 1, 2026, in Cape Canaveral, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)