Scaffolding nets from Hong Kong apartment buildings brought to lab, found to cause fire

The South China Morning Post collected scaffolding net samples from several apartment buildings in Hong Kong and sent them to a laboratory for testing, and discovered that one sample of the net still caught fire despite meeting safety standards.

Workers dismantle scaffolding at Sui Wo Court residential complex in Hong Kong - Photo: SCMP

On December 8, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post exclusively reported: In the laboratory, a sample of scaffolding mesh taken from a large residential area in Hong Kong (not the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex) created "burning droplets" and caused a fire, despite previously exceeding safety standards.

This finding has prompted experts to call for a review of standards for this type of netting and improvements to current safety regulations targeting scaffolding at renovation sites.

Immediately after the fire that engulfed the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in Tai Po district on November 26, the South China Morning Post collected mesh samples from the complex and four others and sent them to a government-certified laboratory for testing.

Previously, authorities revealed they discovered substandard scaffolding nets, lacking fire-resistant properties, mixed in with other types of netting and possibly contributing to the rapid spread of the fire, which killed at least 159 people and left approximately 4,000 homeless.

Four other residential areas besides Wang Fuk Court were randomly selected by the South China Morning Post : Victory Garden (Kwai Chung urban area), Sui Wo Court (Sha Tin), Fung Wah Estate (Chai Wan), and Cheung Shing building (Prince Edward).

According to the test results, all samples passed the required performance test. However, the sample taken from Sui Wo Court showed that the "flaming droplets" continued to burn even after the ignition source was removed.

This subsidized housing complex has over 3,500 households across 9 buildings, and is currently being renovated by Fulam Construction Engineering Company.

In a test conducted according to mainland China standards—which were accepted as the standard by the Hong Kong authorities—burning mesh pieces from the Sui Wo Court sample fell onto the cotton layer below. The cotton immediately caught fire and caused a blaze. This phenomenon did not occur in other samples.

An industry insider with years of experience in the laboratory said it was very rare to see burnt fragments from a test sample ignite the cotton.

"This is very rare, indicating poor quality, even if it passed the test," he said, adding that he hadn't seen a similar phenomenon in the 50 samples he had recently tested.

Last week, Hong Kong authorities ordered the removal of all scaffolding at approximately 200 locations across the city, after discovering allegedly fake safety certificates at two construction sites.

According to British, American, or mainland Chinese standards.

According to the contractor's test documents from last year, the scaffolding used at the Sui Wo Court housing project has met the UK fire safety requirements.

Under current Hong Kong regulations, protective netting, shielding, or plastic sheeting installed on the exterior of buildings under construction or renovation must comply with a recognized standard, such as a British, American, mainland Chinese, or other equivalent standard.

The Hong Kong authorities have pledged to release new guidelines that will clearly specify how to sample and test mesh before it is used on scaffolding.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/luoi-gian-giao-tu-cac-chung-cu-hong-kong-dua-toi-phong-thi-nghiem-phat-hien-gay-chay-20251208191833497.htm