Hong Kong residents and experts defend bamboo scaffolding after deadly fire

HONG KONG (AP) — Hong Kong residents, construction professionals and former senior officials are pushing back against the idea that bamboo scaffolding was a main reason flames spread so quickly in the city’s deadliest blaze in decades, as a debate flares over whether it should be replaced.

Authorities were quick to focus on the traditional scaffolding enveloping the apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court complex -- where the fatal Nov. 26 blaze spread from one tower to seven, killing at least 159 people. While much of the green netting covering the scaffolding incinerated, some of the bamboo scaffolding also burned and fell, and officials have stepped up plans to replace it.

Bamboo scaffolding is a common sight on Hong Kong high rises, though mainland China and places elsewhere in Asia have mostly begun using metal alternatives.

An industry union says Hong Kong has an estimated 3,000 workers registered to erect bamboo scaffolding, a construction technique dating back hundreds of years.

“I would be very cautious about blaming bamboo itself before the full investigation reports are published,” said Kristof Crolla, an associate professor of architecture at the University of Hong Kong whose focus includes bamboo architecture.

As a natural material, bamboo can be combustible, Crolla said. But “when it is properly used and combined with certified fire-retardant netting it is comparatively hard to ignite.”

During the fire, flames shot up the bamboo scaffolding erected for external maintenance work,-as well as the green netting draping it. But bamboo is usually not “easily ignited," said Raffaella Endrizzi, an architect who researches bamboo scaffolding who teaches at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. “Focusing on bamboo alone risks obscuring more systemic safety issues,” she said.

Last week, as firefighters battled the deadly inferno for a second day, the city’s chief secretary for administration, Eric Chan, told reporters that bamboo scaffolding's fire resistance was “inferior” to that of metal scaffolding.

The city's top leader, John Lee, said officials had met with construction industry representatives to discuss timelines for switching to metal scaffolding. Metal should be used for safety reasons when possible, Chan said.

The initial cause of the fire is under investigation. So far, experts have found that some of the green netting wrapped around the bamboo scaffolding was substandard and that flammable foam boards were used to seal windows during the months' long renovations. Those were the main factors causing the fire to spread to seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court complex, said Secretary for Security Chris Tang.

One note in Chinese left among a mountain of bouquets placed near the disaster site stood out: “it’s not the bamboo scaffolding that should be reviewed, but the whole system." Many others have posted similar comments on social media.

Putting the blame on bamboo scaffolding is a “lazy, scapegoating” move that distracts from deeper issues, Regina Ip, a former Hong Kong secretary for security who is an adviser to the chief executive, Lee, wrote Tuesday in the local newspaper Ming Pao.

“It would be a great pity to hastily decide on banning bamboo scaffolding -- which is flexible to use -- because of this incident,” John Tsang, a former Hong Kong financial secretary, wrote on his Facebook page.

“Anyone with common sense knows that bamboo isn’t so easy to burn,” he said.

Those defending bamboo scaffolding say it's uniquely suited to Hong Kong’s dense, irregular urban landscape.

“It’s light, fast, adaptable, and supported by generations of skilled scaffolders -- qualities that have shaped the city’s skyline and construction pace,” said Endrizzi, of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The two cannot be so easily substituted, said the University of Hong Kong's Crolla.

For one, “bamboo scaffolding (can) be threaded through very tight urban conditions and irregular façades in ways that metal systems often cannot,” he said.

Ehsan Noroozinejad, a senior researcher focusing on construction and infrastructure at Western Sydney University, said aluminum or steel scaffolding is non-combustible and could last longer. But it's also heavier and can take more time to set up and dismantle.

Bamboo costs half or less than metal scaffolding, said Ho Ping-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union. He questioned how willing residents at older buildings needing external renovations would be to pay more.

Broader issues of suspected bid-rigging and use of substandard construction materials in other building maintenance and renovation projects have dominated discussions as the city mourns victims of the fire.

“Switching materials alone (from bamboo to metal scaffolding) won’t address underlying problems around specification, enforcement, and site supervision,” said Endrizzi. Policy changes should be based on evidence because otherwise Hong Kong risks disrupting a system that has worked for decades, while failing to crack down on regulatory problems and the use of unauthorized construction materials, she said.

Authorities have arrested at least 15 people in a probe into suspected corruption and negligence at the renovation project.

That has raised questions about government oversight, since residents at Wang Fuk Court raised fire safety concerns about the construction materials, including the netting, a year earlier.

After the fire, contractors at several other Hong Kong housing estates undergoing exterior maintenance work began removing netting covering scaffolding. On Wednesday, officials ordered the removal of external scaffolding nets at hundreds of buildings undergoing major renovations or maintenance. They are to be tested before they are reinstalled.

An independent committee will investigate the cause of the fire, said Hong Kong’s top leader Lee. He pledged systemic changes in the construction industry to prevent further such tragedies.

“We must uncover the truth, ensure that justice is served,” he said.

AP photographer Chan Long Hei in Hong Kong and AP business writer Elaine Kurtenbach contributed to this report.

Construction workers walk past a building under renovation in Quarry Bay district after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Dec 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Construction workers stand nearby a building under renovations in Quarry Bay district after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Dec 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

People walk past the building under renovation in Quarry Bay district after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Dec 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Pedestrians walk past the removed scaffolding nets and construction materials in Quarry Bay district after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Dec 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

Construction workers remove scaffolding nets from a renovation project in Quarry Bay district after the deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court, in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong's New Territories, Thursday, Dec 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Chan Long Hei)

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Tuesday will be the most intense day yet of U.S. strikes inside Iran as the Islamic Republic, its firepower diminished, vowed to fight on. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meanwhile said “we are breaking their bones” and said the war's aim is a popular overthrow of Iran's government.

U.S. President Donald Trump, for his part, has sent contradictory signals about how long the war could last, causing wild swings Monday in financial and fuel markets. The U.S. stock market and oil prices were holding relatively steady Tuesday.

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf dismissed any suggestion Tehran has sought a ceasefire. Another top Iranian security official, Ali Larijani, appeared to threaten Trump himself, writing on X that “Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

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“The situation was terrifying,” evacuee Zulvan Lindan said. “The blasts were so powerful that the embassy’s windows shook.”

As many as 22 Indonesians arrived late Tuesday as evacuations continue, according to Indonesia’s foreign minister, who welcomed the group at Soekarno Hatta international airport. They traveled from Tehran to Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku before securing flights home, said Sugiono, who like many Indonesians uses a single name.

Roughly 329 Indonesian nationals were in Iran, many of them students based in the city of Qom, and evacuating them required navigating rapidly shifting conditions and logistical constraints, Sugiono said.

Indonesian officials said they will continue communicating with citizens who have opted to remain in Iran, and that more evacuations will depend on updated security assessments.

Some people walking by the memorial in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square paused in silence, and some brought flowers to lay in front of photos of the six soldiers. A sign said “For the American heroes, your courage and dedication will not be forgotten.”

“Both of the countries are fighting together against a common enemy, and I think it’s really beautiful to see the solidarity between the people,” said Tel Aviv resident Gili Klein, whose boyfriend and several friends are currently serving in the Israeli military.

The Army Reserve soldiers were working in logistics when a drone hit their command center in Port Shuaiba, Kuwait, one day after the U.S. and Israel launched their military campaign against Iran.

The cost of the Iran war is aggravating Americans across the political spectrum. That’s the message from Associated Press interviews Monday with people at gas stations and beyond in five states. The national average gas price was $3.48 a gallon on Monday, up from $2.90 just before the war, according to tracking by AAA.

Electric vehicle owners expressed renewed gratitude for their vehicle choice. But Trump voter Francisco Castillo wasn’t happy as he fueled his son’s Ford pickup truck in Iowa. The factory worker said he voted believing Trump would strengthen the economy. “He said he was going to bring gas down, but the war in Iran is now making everything worse.”

A Quinnipiac poll over the weekend found about half of registered voters oppose the U.S. military action against Iran while about 4 in 10 support it, and three-quarters were concerned about the war raising fuel prices.

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Rights activists are calling on the governments of Qatar and Bahrain to halt a crackdown on protests and freedom of expression amid dozens of arrests.

People were arrested in both countries for sharing “misleading” opinions and information online, or in Bahrain in response to protests or critical posts, according to DAWN, a Washington-based rights organization that Saudi journalist Jamal Kashoggi founded before he was killed in Turkey.

“Freedom of expression does not disappear when the bombs start falling,” said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN. “Wartime is precisely when people most need to speak freely to share information, question decision-making, express dissent, and hold authorities to account.”

Israel’s military had warned people it would attack several areas south of Beirut, saying the Hezbollah militant group is active there.

Tuesday’s strike came a day after more than a dozen other strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, mainly targeting buildings housing offices of Hezbollah’s financial arm, known as al-Qard al-Hasan.

The Israeli military spokesman said shortly after the first strike on Tuesday that the air force has began attacks on Hezbollah infrastructure south of Beirut.

Dozens of residents from a Christian Lebanese border village have been evacuated, gathering at a church in Beirut’s outskirts to hold funeral prayers for a compatriot killed in an Israeli strike.

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, helped almost 100 residents leave Alma al-Shaab early Tuesday, the last group of residents who for days tried to stand their ground amid the ongoing bombardments between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group.

“The situation was difficult, we were sleeping in the church the entire time,” said evacuee Joe Sayyah. He said the strike that killed Sami al-Ghafri was the turning point that made them decide to leave. “Sami was hit in front of his house, which is 40 meters away from the church.”

Over 600,000 people have been displaced as Israel asked residents across southern Lebanon to flee northward. In Christian villages like Alma al-Shaab, residents insisted they have nothing to do with this war and no military activity is taking place from their areas.

“There is no other alternative than increasing fuel prices by this amount (about 8%) at this time in order to manage the crisis related to the oil prices,” government spokesman and media minister Nalinda Jayatissa told the media Tuesday.

Long queues formed at fuel stations across the country last week to collect fuel as people feared a shortage due to the Iran war. As fuel sales doubled and nearly tripled, shrinking supplies compelled the authorities to purchase new fuel consignments at high prices.

The United Arab Emirates’ Defense Ministry said in a statement that nine drones hit the country on Tuesday, while it intercepted eight missiles and 26 drones. It said the attacks on the Gulf country have so far killed six people and injured 122 others.

Responding to a question shouted by a reporter at a news conference about accountability for the strike, Hegseth said that “we take things very, very seriously and investigate them thoroughly.”

“No nation takes more precautions to ensure there’s never targeting of civilians,” he said, adding that “open source information” shouldn’t be used to determine what happened.

Satellite images, expert analysis, a U.S. official and public information suggest the explosion that killed at least 165 people, mostly children, was likely caused by U.S. airstrikes that also hit an adjacent compound associated with Iran’s Revolutionary Guard.

Trump erroneously claimed Monday that Iran has access to the American Tomahawk cruise missile, the weapon likely used to strike the school.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had a call on Tuesday with his Iranian counterpart to discuss the evolving situation and reaffirmed Moscow’s hope for a political and diplomatic settlement.

Lavrov told Abbas Araghchi that the Russian side is ready to help a de-escalation while taking into consideration security interests of Iran and its neighbors.

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Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Tuesday that he shares many of the aims of the U.S.-Israeli campaign against Iran, but “more questions arise with every day of war.”

“Above all we’re concerned that there is apparently no joint plan for how this war can be brought quickly to a convincing end,” Merz said.

He stressed that “Germany and Europe have no interest in an endless war” or in Iran’s territorial integrity disintegrating.

The chancellor said he shares Trump’s hope that the war will end quickly. He said that if that happens, oil and energy markets should return to normal relatively soon and so there’s no reason to consider loosening sanctions against Russia.

The attacks have killed at least 22 health care workers since the start of the war, the World Health Organization’s top regional official said.

Dr. Hanan Balkhy, the head of WHO’s Eastern Mediterranean region, told The Associated Press that these attacks include strikes on medical facilities, personnel and ambulances. Eighteen of the documented attacks were in Iran and 23 were in Lebanon, where the agency verified 12 deaths and 26 injuries among health care workers after fighting between Israel and Hezbollah resumed earlier this month.

It’s an “unprecedented situation,” she said, adding that the intensity of attacks and the massive displacement have added more burden on the health care systems of both countries.

More than 100,000 people fled their homes in Iran, while over 500,000 were forced to flee in Iran, she said.

Caine says the military is considering options to ensure the Strait of Hormuz is open for tanker traffic but has not yet been asked to escort tankers through the narrow passage.

Speaking at a Pentagon news briefing, Caine said says military leaders are looking at “a range of options” and would present them to Trump if asked.

Hegseth noted Trump’s threat on Monday to increase strikes on Iran by 20 times if it stops the flow of oil through the Strait. He also said Iran’s decision to target its neighbors was a desperate move that would only drive other Middle East nations toward the U.S.

“I can’t say that we anticipated necessarily that’s exactly how they would react,” Hegseth said.

Cross-country skier Aboulfazl Khatibi had to withdraw from the Winter Paralympics because of he couldn’t travel safely to Italy due to the Iran war.

“The recent events have been very painful for many people, and it is especially heartbreaking for athletes who have dedicated years of hard work and preparation to represent their country,” Hamid Alisamimi, the chief executive of Iran’s National Paralympic Committee, said in a statement to The Associated Press.

“Aboulfazl Khatibi Mianaei, like many others, has faced deep disappointment at being unable to participate in the Paralympics after such long and determined preparation. At the same time, he believes that sport should always remain a bridge between nations and a symbol of peace.”

A merchant vessel escorted by Pakistan Navy warships docked overnight in the southern port city of Karachi and another was expected to enter Pakistan’s territorial waters in the Arabian Sea later Tuesday in the nation’s maritime security operation.

About 90% of Pakistan’s trade moves by sea, making maritime routes vital for the country’s economy and energy imports from Saudi Arabia and other gulf countries. Pakistan’s military said its navy launched Operation “Muhafiz-ul-Bahr” or Maritime Guardian in response to potential disruptions to key sea lanes.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, says the number of ballistic missiles fired off by Iran continues to go down since the first day of the U.S. military’s campaign against Iran.

Speaking at a Pentagon news briefing, Caine said missile attacks have fallen 90% and one-way attack drones have decreased 83% since the war began.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the numbers show U.S. strikes are making progress by wearing down Iran’s defenses and its ability to strike its neighbors and U.S. forces.

“That is strong evidence of degradation,” Hegseth said of the numbers.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told reporters Tuesday morning from the Pentagon that “today will be yet again our most intense day of strikes inside Iran.”

Hegseth’s statement came shortly after he said that “the last 24 hours have seen Iran fire the lowest amount of missiles they have fired yet.”

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said at the same news conference that the U.S. military is moving into the 11th day of its operation against Iran.

Qatar’s Defense Ministry reported that it has intercepted an incoming missile.

Qatar had warned the public to go inside Tuesday afternoon out of concern of an incoming Iranian attack.

Also, the United Arab Emirates said that its air defenses had been activated to intercept incoming fire from Iran.

Iranian security official Ali Larijani wrote a message on X after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to attack Iran “TWENTY TIMES HARDER” if Tehran stopped oil flowing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Larijani wrote: “The sacrificial nation of Iran doesn’t fear your empty threats. Even those bigger than you couldn’t eliminate Iran. Be careful not to get eliminated yourself.”

Iran has been accused of plotting attempts to kill Trump in the past.

A spokesman for Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard has threatened to not allow “a single liter of oil” to leave the Persian Gulf.

Ali Mohamad Naeini has made the comment in a statement.

He says Iran “will not allow the export of even a single liter of oil from the region to the hostile side and its partners until further notice.”

“Their attempts to reduce and control oil and gas prices will be temporary and ineffective,” he said. “Trade in wartime conditions is subject to security considerations.”

A ship likely came under attack in the Persian Gulf off the coast of the United Arab Emirates’ capital, a center run by the British military says.

The possible attack on the bulk carrier would expand the radius of ongoing assaults against shipping by Iran during the war.

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center reported the incident, saying a captain aboard the vessel reported seeing “a splash and heard a loud bang in proximity of a bulk carrier.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says Russia remains ready to help broker an end to the war in the Middle East.

Following Russian President Vladimir Putin’s call on Monday with U.S. President Donald Trump, Peskov said that Russia’s mediation offers “are still on the table.”

He told reporters that “Russia is ready to provide assistance to the best of its ability and will be happy to do so.”

Israel’s military says it has launched new airstrikes targeting Iran’s capital, Tehran.

Witnesses reported hearing several explosions in the city as the Israelis began their airstrikes.

The Persian Gulf country was attacked with three missiles and a drone as Iran keeps up its strikes in the Middle East, authorities said.

One strike hit a residential building in Bahrain’s capital, Manama, killing a 29-year-old woman and wounding eight others, the Interior Ministry said.

Iran has repeatedly hit Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet.

The group of industrial nations on Monday held off releasing oil stocks to bring down prices but are picking up the issue again with more discussions between their energy ministers on Tuesday, according to France.

France, which currently holds the G7’s rotating presidency, wants “to advance on that question, with one objective, which is to bring down prices,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told broadcaster France Televisions.

“France is working on that for a very simple reason: If you put volume back into the market, you can have an impact on the lowering of prices,” Bregeon said.

French Finance Minister Roland Lescure said the G7 ministers will meet Tuesday afternoon by video call.

“It’s a process, we are working on it,” Lescure said. “All options are on the table.”

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul says there is no need now to send his country’s warships or other military hardware to Cyprus or the eastern Mediterranean.

An Iranian Shahed drone struck a British air base on Cyprus’ southern coast last week.

Wadephul lauded Greece, France and Italy for dispatching warships to the region as a “pragmatic step,” adding that Germany would augment a European force presence if needed.

Following talks with his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, Wadephul said he doesn’t have intelligence indicating “a real current threat” to Cyprus or another European country from the Iran war.

But he added “you can never predict what will happen the next day” with groups like Hezbollah.

Saudi oil company Aramco says it will reach capacity of its East-West pipeline “in a couple of days” to get its product out to the global market.

Amin Nasser, Aramco’s CEO and president, said the East-West pipeline has a daily capacity of 7 million barrels.

“We should be reaching capacity, in a couple of days. It’s all been going on the repositioning of tankers from the East to West,” Nasser said. “You know, this crisis happened all of a sudden, and tankers need to reposition to the West coast for loading.”

He added: “The situation at the Strait of Hormuz is blocking sizable volumes of oil from the whole region.”

The East-West pipeline sends oil to the Red Sea for transport. Saudi Aramco operates the pipeline from the Aqaiq oil processing center near the Persian Gulf to the Yanbu port on the Red Sea, avoiding the chokepoint of the Strait of Hormuz.

Amin Nasser, the president and CEO of Aramco, said the firm remained “focused on safety and meeting our commitments.”

“That situation continues to evolve, and the safety of our people and our operations remain our highest priorities,” Nasser said.

He did not immediately elaborate on any effects from the war on the company’s output.

Nasser hinted at global oil markets being squeezed the longer the Iran war goes on and shipments from the Mideast being affected.

“Given the current geopolitical situation, we may see inventories eroding and being drawn down faster as shipments are being curtailed from the region,” he said. “This is at a time when current global spare capacity remains extremely low.”

That likely could push the price per barrel globally even higher, translating to higher costs for gasoline and jet fuel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Tuesday that Israel will continue striking Iran.

“Our aim is to bring the Iranian people to cast off the yoke of tyranny, ultimately it depends on them,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with Israel’s hospital and health system leaders.

“But there is no doubt that with the actions taken so far, we are breaking their bones,” he said.

Thailand’s Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul told government agencies and state companies to begin having staff not in public facing roles to work from home.

The government said Tuesday that Thailand was also suspending overseas training and study trips.

The announcement comes as countries in Southeast Asia move to counter disruptions to oil and gas supplies from the war in the Middle East.

The Vietnamese government ordered similar measures, but also urged people to limit private use of their vehicles.

Fuel prices have climbed and long lines have formed outside filling stations as drivers and motorcycle riders rush to ensure they can fill their tanks.

People walk past closed shops at the nearly empty traditional main bazaar in Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Protesters wave Iranian flags and hold a portrait of the late Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his son Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei to support his selection as the new Iran's Supreme Leader in Baghdad, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A man passes in front of a destroyed building that housed a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a non-bank financial institution run by Hezbollah, which was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth listens as President Donald Trump speaks to reporters while traveling aboard Air Force One en route from Dover Air Force Base, Del., to Miami, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)

Motorbikes drive past a billboard depicting Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, center, handing the country’s flag to his son and successor Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, right, as the late revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini stands at left, in a square in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, March 10, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Flames rise from an oil storage facility south of the capital Tehran as strikes hit the city during the U.S.–Israel military campaign, Iran, Saturday, March 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iraqis hold a portrait of the new successor to Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei at a bridge leading to the fortified Green Zone where the U.S. embassy is located in Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, March 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban)

A coffin is carried during the funeral of mostly children killed in a strike Feb. 28 at a girls' elementary school in Minab, Iran, Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (Abbas Zakeri/Mehr News Agency via AP)

This image taken from video provided by Iran state TV shows Mojtaba Khamenei, a son of Iran's slain supreme leader, who has been named as the Islamic Republic's next ruler, authorities announced Monday, March 9, 2026. (Iran state TV via AP)