00:00A new video has now emerged, revealing the exact moment the massive Hong Kong
00:19apartment fire first began and how it slowly then suddenly spread out of
00:25control. The footage shows a small fire simmering quietly at first, glowing
00:35through the green safety nets and the bamboo scaffolding that surrounded the
00:39building for renovation work. For a while it looks like a minor incident but
00:48within minutes the fire picks up speed, climbing the bamboo structure and
00:53exploding into massive flames. Investigators are now trying to identify
01:01the very first spark, the exact moment this tragedy began, but they have not
01:07announced any official findings yet. Early speculation has pointed to the bamboo
01:13scaffolding and the plastic mesh used around the building, with some saying
01:18these materials helped the fire spread faster.
01:28But many people in Hong Kong disagree, defending the bamboo, which has been used
01:33safely for decades. They say other materials around the building, like
01:39styrofoam boards, may have been the real problem. On the ground the situation remains
01:46extremely serious. The death toll has now risen to 128, and dozens more are in
01:53hospital with critical injuries.
01:58Officials have warned that these numbers could still go up, as search and
02:02identification work continues.
02:06Some families are still waiting, hoping for news of loved ones, with many still unaccounted for.
02:13Firefighters have been working non-stop for days, battling flames in multiple buildings, even as the
02:21lower, slow-burning fires continue inside the damaged towers.
02:25The scenes inside are extremely dangerous, with cracked walls, falling debris, and areas too hot for
02:34crews to enter safely. Investigation teams have now arrived, wearing full protective suits, and preparing to
02:36for a week's-long search for evidence. They will also use DNA samples to help identify bodies, as many are too badly burned to recognize.
02:52Outside the buildings, a very different kind of army has formed, an army of volunteers. Hundreds have come to Taipo, setting up donation points,
02:57sorting clothes, food, water, and basic items for survivors who lost everything.
03:12At shelters across the district, families are gathered together, some still in shock, some crying,
03:20some just sitting in silence, trying to process what has happened.
03:25People share stories of how they ran out of their homes,
03:29how they couldn't save anything, how they watched entire towers burn down with nothing they could do.
03:38One resident said,
03:41We just stood there and watched our homes burn to the ground.
03:45This disaster has now triggered major concerns about building safety in Hong Kong,
03:52and whether enough was done to prevent something like this from happening.
03:56Officials have already arrested three people involved in the renovation work on suspicion of manslaughter,
04:04and a separate corruption investigation has begun.
04:09The government says financial help will be provided,
04:13and a full review of construction safety is expected,
04:17including a possible ban on bamboo scaffolding.
04:21F neurŃĐ”ĐŒattan.
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