By James Pomfret and Clare Jim

HONG KONG (Reuters) -Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in three decades has spotlighted its risky use of flammable bamboo scaffolding and mesh for building work in a tradition dating back centuries to mainland China.

The origin of the blaze was unclear, but there was no hiding the ease with which the fire rapidly spread across the green netting and sent bamboo lattices crashing to the ground in flames.

At least 36 people died.

For decades in the skyscraper-strewn former British colony, bamboo has been the material of choice for scaffolding – cheap, abundant and flexible – bound together with nylon cords.

The craft originated on mainland China where bamboo, viewed as symbolising grace and moral fortitude, has since ancient times been a cornerstone of architectur

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