A fire in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong claimed at least 155 lives and resulted in dozens of injuries on Nov. 26.

The fire occurred at the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex, which houses nearly 5,000 residents and lasted nearly two days.

Seven of the eight buildings in the complex were engulfed in flames. The eighth building, the Wang Chi House, did not catch fire.

This was the third deadliest fire in Hong Kong’s 183-year history, and the deadliest fire since the 1948 Wing On warehouse fire that killed 176 people.

At least 15 people have been arrested by the Independent Commission Against Corruption. Hong Kong authorities said the investigation will take at least four to six weeks to complete, but there has been speculation regarding possible factors that contributed to the fire.

This includes weather conditions, Wang Fuk Court’s bamboo scaffolding and use of polystyrene foam boards to cover apartment windows, which were used during renovations that occurred last summer.

The foam boards used turned out to be highly flammable and caused windows to overheat and break, allowing fire to spread rapidly into the buildings. The boards also blocked residents’ views of the fire outside. 

Bamboo scaffolding also caught fire and fell, igniting other lower parts of buildings. Experts have contested whether this was a major factor in the spread of the fire.

“When it is properly used and combined with certified fire-retardant netting it is comparatively hard to ignite,” Associate Professor of architecture and Associate Dean at the University of Hong Kong Kristof Crolla told KENS 5 News regarding bamboo’s properties.

Early video evidence of the fire suggests that it may have started between apartments at Block 6, also known as the Wang Cheong House tower, of Wang Fuk Court. The tight space between the building’s exterior wall and the bamboo scaffolding trapped the fire’s heat, while the foam boards fueled the fire’s growth, causing it to spread to the rest of the building in just 20 seconds.

“That exterior gap chimney effect is real and is the key to what happened,” Jonathan Barnett, managing director of fire engineering consulting firm Basic Expert, told The New York Times.

“Something that would normally not burn very quickly will burn very quickly because of the radiant heat feedback inside this chimney.”

Additionally, the synthetic mesh used during renovations to cover the bamboo scaffolding had failed fire safety codes, according to CBS News.

Even before firefighters arrived at the apartment complex to investigate the fire, residents of the complex had already begun to evacuate, according to CNN.

Over four hours after it ignited, the fire was declared a level five alarm following the death of veteran firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who collapsed outside one of the buildings while battling the flames with burns.

Ho was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.

Residents of the Wang Fuk Court have turned to the government for assistance, as many are from working-class families who bought their apartments through a government program.

“It was horrible — all of our belongings are gone,” Diana Yu, a resident of the apartment complex, told The New York Times.

Over 3,800 residents were relocated to temporary apartments in former quarantine facilities, youth hostels and housing projects across Hong Kong, while other residents have temporarily been staying with family and friends.

About 294 pets were rescued from the fire and reunited with their owners.

Moving forward, many residents of the apartment complex hope to live in the rebuilt towers, while some are looking to repurchase property in the neighborhood, other subsidized housing or long-term accommodation.

Albert Lai, founding chairman of public policy independent think tank The Professional Commons and climate strategy leader at Deloitte Carbon Care Asia, said that a government urban renewal scheme could be recycled to build a new complex at Wang Fuk Court. 

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu arranged for $38 million to be allocated to families who were impacted by the fire.

Donations from Hong Kong’s residents rose to over $390 million, and volunteers distributed food and clothing.

Surrounding buildings had posters with the names and contact information of organizations offering assistance. Donations also poured in from different philanthropic companies and groups. 

Alibaba donated $60 million HKD, half of which was from the Jack Ma Foundation. The Beijing Han Hong Love Charity Foundation pledged 30 million yuan for emergency items, including portable power stations, masks, goggles and gloves.

Posts on Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu, referred to as RedNote in the West, also provided guidance on donating to local charities to support those affected by the fire.

“As a Sichuan native, I will always remember Hong Kong’s aid during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake,” a user on Weibo posted, along with a screenshot of his donation.

“I hope we Chinese can support each other and overcome difficulties together.”