Hong Kong fire death toll rises to 128, with 200 still missing and 8 more arrested
Residents in Wang Fuk Court have said they repeatedly complained to the city’s Labor Department about the flammability of the protective green mesh that was used to cover bamboo scaffolding raised around the buildings, only to be told that the fire risk was relatively low, Reuters reported Friday.
This is exactly the 3rd World sensibility that we are busily importing. Respect for human life is a joke in most of the world, but the West has managed to change that, by elevating the individual to primacy.
Respect for the law, in this case construction regulations, is a shell game in all but the West. Fake the paperwork, use fake and cheap materials, bribe the inspectors, do what you must to maximize profit, and if a few people die? Oh well!
And the state is no better. Building inspectors actively solicit bribes in most of the world! And the regulations written by the regulatory bodies are laughable in their lack of teeth.
But we are busily bringing that mindset to America! Sure, there is corruption in America, and there has always been, but our minimum standards, even with crooked officials are far higher, and more stringently policed than anywhere else. But the breathtaking thievery of the 3rd World is a level that we have never even approached here.
Soon though!
Building inspectors in major US cites are highly bribable. If the concrete test cylinders do not meet spec, it’s nothing that a few dollars won’t solve. But, if the test strength is under by 10% or more, even a bribe won’t work. Since buildings are designed with high factors of safety, a reduction in strength of 10% or so probably wouldn’t matter, until the building gets old .
NYC has some of the toughest fire codes around, but it has lots of inertia to changing them for new situations. When e-bikes first came out, they caused lots of fires in apartments where they were charged and in commercial spaces that sold them. It took forever for the city’s laws, rules and regulations to address this problem even though the fire marshal traced many major fires to these e-bikes. With news of the first fire, I advocated banning lithium batteries in buildings, unless there was a separate fireproof room for their storage , but that fell on deaf ears from the City. Condo boards were the first to listen, with a good majority banning e-bikes. After many years and many lithium fires, the City finally did a little. I’m surprised the insurance companies didn’t send inspectors out and send out notices of cancellation for insured buildings that did not enforce a n e-bike ban.
With respect to the Hong Kong fire, I believe that the problem was multifaceted. I am sure that the walls of the building did not contain any fire stops, so you ended up with a chimney effect where the fire spread vertically very quickly. In such a situation, the people inside do not stand a chance.