A fast-moving fire engulfed several high-rise apartment buildings in Hong Kong on Wednesday, killing more than 30 people.
The cause of the blaze, which was still burning after more than eight hours, wasn’t immediately known, and an unknown number of people are trapped inside the complex that houses thousands of residents.
Chinese leader Xi Jinping urged an “all-out effort” to extinguish the fire. Video showed flames lashing over bamboo scaffolding, commonly used in Hong Kong for renovations of older buildings.
The government announced plans in the spring to gradually phase out bamboo in favor of steel scaffolding to mitigate fire risks.
The fire department attributed the spread of an office building blaze in October to the bamboo structures.
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