and flammable styrofoam used to board up windows (not common I think it was done here to protect the glass) that caused the fire to spread quickly. Bamboo does not catch fire that easily, shown by how most of the bamboo scaffolding remained intact after the tragedy. Under...

HK Building Department Practice Notes for Authorized Persons, Registered Structural Engineers and Registered Geotechnical Engineers APP-70 "Use of Plastic Sheet to Cover Scaffolding Outside Buildings" and HK Labor Department "Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety"...

states "plastic sheeting covering scaffolding erected around buildings under construction, demolition, renovation or repair should be flame retardant." Examples of recognized Chinese, British and American standards are listed below:

Remember, Hong Kong's glittering massive skyline, the largest collection of skyscrapers on the planet, containing some of the tallest buildings in the world; were all built using bamboo scaffolding and the Lion Rock spirit.