Intense flames and vast amounts of smoke led to debris falling from multiple high-rises, forcing the evacuation of many residents to the ground. Fire services deployed numerous engines and ambulances to the scene.

Police received the initial report near 3 p.m. from a pedestrian about burning scaffolding on Wang Cheong House. Subsequently, numerous residents of Wang Cheong House, Wang Tai House, and Wang Sun House reported being trapped in their apartments.

One resident of Wang Sun House stated she fled her unit after hearing firecracker-like sounds, believing the bamboo scaffolding had ignited. Another mistook the noise for 'falling concrete' from renovation work, only fleeing when a friend called about the fire, local media noted. Management confirmed an emergency evacuation was underway.

The entire Wang Fuk Court complex, containing eight blocks, is presently undergoing a major external renovation project. Owners' Corporation records confirm all buildings have scaffolding erected for exterior wall plaster spraying.

Documents from the Wang Fuk Court Owners' Corporation in Tai Po show that the housing estate began a massive maintenance and repair initiative in July of last year, Hong Kong01 reported. Wang Yip Construction Engineering Co., Ltd. is the project's contractor, which has been under construction for over one year. The original timeline indicated that the scaffolding would be taken down in phases between March and June of next year. Hong Kong01 attempted to contact the owners' corporation and the contractor concerning the fire, but no reply was received from either party.

In January of last year, the owners' corporation at Tai Po Wang Fuk Court passed a significant maintenance strategy amounting to NT$330 million, Hong Kong01 confirmed. This required the 1,984 households across eight blocks to make maintenance payments of NT$160,000 to NT$180,000, scheduled in six bi-monthly installments. A considerable number of the owners expressed displeasure over this arrangement. Construction for these activities commenced in July of last year.

Following this, some owners organized a special general meeting, adhering to the Building Management Regulations' legal procedures, to re-evaluate the maintenance proposal and elect new representatives for the corporation. After consistent efforts, certain owners successfully convened a special general meeting in September of last year, Hong Kong01 reported. Following deliberations, they reached a unanimous decision to remove the old corporation that had served for more than ten years and to select new corporate representatives.

The newly elected corporate representatives vowed to scrutinize the maintenance contract terms and collaborate with owners to supervise the project's development. Minutes from a September meeting this year indicated that the major maintenance contractor had updated the Corporation on progress and planned to speed up construction. The plan involves beginning scaffolding demolition for the first phase between March and April next year, for the second phase between April and May next year, and for the third phase between April and June next year. The project, which includes reconstructing rooftop solar panels and repairing architraves, has been active for more than a year. The scaffolding required reinforcement and repair in early October after sustaining damage from super typhoon "Birch Gaza."

Hong Kong01 tried to call the contractor regarding the fire; however, the person hung up without answering the inquiry. The phone number for the owners' corporation also went unanswered.

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Lebanon's two main power plants were forced to shut down after running out of fuel, the state electricity company said Saturday, leaving the small country with no government-produced power.

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Lebanon is grappling with a crippling energy crisis made worse by its dependency on fuel imports. Erratic power supplies have put hospitals and essential services in crisis mode. The Lebanese increasingly depend on private operators that also struggle to secure supplies amid an unprecedented crash of the national currency.

The shortage of diesel and fuel, along with an antiquated infrastructure, has worsened power cuts that have been a fixture for years. Blackouts that used to last for three to six hours could now leave entire areas with no more than two hours of state power a day.

On Saturday, the state electricity company said Zahrani power plant in the country's south was forced to shut down because of fuel shortage; the main plant in the north was shut down on Thursday.

Electricite De Liban said the shutdown reduces the total power supply to below 270 megawatts, which means a major drop in the stability of the grid. It said it would reach out to fuel facilities in the country's north and south to see if they can procure enough fuel to bring back power. It added that a new shipment of fuel from Iraq is expected next week.

But the company, responsible for most of the government's debts, is dependent on credit from the country's central bank, which is struggling with dwindling reserves.

The government has gradually raised prices of fuel and diesel as the central bank cut back on subsidizing dollars for imports, adding to the hardships in Lebanon, where about three quarters of the population has plunged into poverty over the last year.

With prices soaring and unemployment at a record high, many families have given up private generators and few hours of state power a day is all they get.

On Saturday, distributors of gas canisters used for cooking and heating stopped operating, saying subsidy cuts amid black-market currency fluctuations meant they were selling at a loss.

The energy sector has been a huge drain on state coffers for decades.

The electricity company has annual losses of up to $1.5 billion, and has cost the state more than $40 billion over the past decades. Energy sector reforms have been a key demand by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

To help alleviate the crisis, Lebanon has received fuel shipment from Iran via Syria. Iraq has also made a swap deal with the government that has helped Lebanon's state electricity company stay operational for days.

The new Lebanese government is also negotiating supplies of electricity from Jordan and natural gas from Egypt, also through Syria. But those deals are likely to take months.

Lebanon's Electricity Minister Walid Fayad told The Associated Press that said the new shutdowns leave his government in "crisis management for a couple of days." He said the government would turn to the military to get emergency fuel supplies from its stocks "while we await the fuel cargo from the Iraqi deal and swap."

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The ambulance will be stationed in the southern city of Sderot, servicing the city and surrounding area that is often victim to Hamas rocket fire from Gaza.

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The Sandberg family's visit focused on United Hatzalah's women's unit, which sends female EMTs to treat other women, particularly when dealing with sensitive and private issues such as childbirth and miscarriage. They met a diverse range of women: unit founder Gitty Beer; Orthodox mother of three Sassya Simon; Rania Abu Shaban, a devout Muslim whose grandmother died while waiting for an ambulance; and Kayla Tzur, who responds to multiple emergencies a day via bicycle.

"United Hatzalah's work to quickly respond to emergencies and save lives is one of the most impressive programs I've ever seen," said Sandberg.

"I'm in awe of these brave women and all of the United Hatzalah volunteers, who race toward people when they need help most."

Reprinted with permission from JNS.org.

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