It is hard to imagine a world city that would be more devastated by a highrise inferno like the one that struck Hong Kong on Wednesday, with the fire still yet to be brought under control. The images of Wang Fuk Court’s eight residential blocks lit up like tinderboxes have been met with shock around the world, but have sent a particular chill through homes in the Asian financial powerhouse.
The fire strikes at the city’s core: Hong Kong is its skyscrapers, from the giant office tower blocks in central that bring in its fortune to the residential developments that cover every inch of buildable land in this compact metropolis.
