Dozens of deaths in an inferno at a Hong Kong residential estate have ignited debate over the role the city's quintessential bamboo scaffolding played in the fire's spread, as the government promised to phase it out.

Hong Kong is one of the world's last remaining cities to use the frames for modern construction and building repair, a practice which dates back centuries in China and other parts of Asia.

The eight high-rises of Wang Fuk Court had been undergoing major renovations since last year, and were criss-crossed by lattices of bamboo and green protective netting when the fire took hold on Wednesday afternoon.

Hong Kong's government said Friday falling bits of bamboo had helped spread the fire, after saying the day before that it was "imperative to expedite" a transition to metal sc

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