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)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)