Transcript

A nightmare inferno is burning across multiple high-rise buildings in Hong Kong. The death toll right now stands at 36, but almost 300 people are still missing. In the last few minutes, we've just learned that three men have been arrested in connection to this blaze. To help us understand the situation, we want to bring in Adam Dewberry, Fire and Rescue NSW Superintendent. Thanks for joining us. Let's put those arrests aside for the moment and how this all started and, and go to the this emergency because if you're at the foot of these buildings. Right now and looking up and there are light as we've seen that they are. What do you do? Where do you start? Yeah, Matt, it all starts with those initial calls coming in when the first arriving firefighters get there. Look at what's on fire, where's it going, Primacy of life, getting those people out and how do you get them out? Can you use some of the internal systems in the building like we have in Australia, the emergency warning inside the building, the intercom system getting out. You gotta get those people out, put water on the fire. What resources do you need? Is the sprinkler system operating? Can we cook into those boosts? It's a massive and this fire is obviously rapidly spread and taken hold. So getting all of those fire trucks and other emergency services, police, ambulance, and even getting the gas and electricity shut off, it's a, it's a major firefighting effort that these firefighters are concerned. We'll talk about that bamboo scaffolding, which sounds like it may have contributed to this as well. But First off, the demographic, the people that live there, there's 444000. 800 people within the building complex itself. Many of those are over the age of 65. It's affordable housing as well for young families. How much more difficult does that make it? Ohh it's extremely difficult. We know we're as we all get older we become a bit slower can't hear as well and it can be difficult. Some of those people may need assistance to getting out so even with those fire isolated stairs which we have in Australia, you know those people probably need to be carried in in some regards so it's just. Adds to it and the amount of people does make it difficult, but with a rapidly expanding fire and it's obviously on the outside and actually gone inside the building or inside out when not too sure, it makes it so difficult. But the smoke being the first killer in all of these or most of these fires or situations, it's difficult. We saw with the Grenfell Tower tragedy in the UK that the the cladding material contributed to this. They're saying that the bamboo scaffolding may have done the same in this instance. There is talk about this being phased out in terms of the building material over in Hong Kong. Could it have contributed to the ferocity of this fire? Ohh, definitely bamboo combustible. Any screening they put around it as well. But thankfully in Australia we have different standards where that's not used. So yes, it could have and probably has contributed as you could see the video that the fires roaring up the side of these buildings on the outside. So and that's could have up higher pushed the fight into those people where they're occupancies. By their units are their normal safe refuge so look a lot of that investigation all that'll be investigated but this is life changing for everyone involved and even us abroad it's life changing looking at this because one thing I can tell you is those firefighters have are constantly making very difficult decisions and whether to go in or not so life changing Adam thank you so much really appreciate it horrible horrible incident Thanks man here's now.