DECEMBER 1 — When Hat Yai in southern Thailand was submerged by what authorities described as the worst deluge in “300 years,” destroying up to 90 per cent of the city, another crisis was unfolding further east. In Tai Po, Hong Kong, a towering inferno consumed multiple residential high-rises, burning relentlessly for more than 24 hours.

The two disasters may seem unconnected. Yet both are symptoms of a larger structural reality: our cities, whether through climate pressure or design negligence, have become catastrophes waiting to happen.

What shocked observers across Asia was not merely the height of the burning towers, but the impossibility of combating a fire that high. Fire brigades could not reach the upper floors. Ladders were too short, hoses were too weak, and the flames spread faster than any human response.

The inferno exposed a brutal truth: vertical living is not matched by vertical safety.

The limits of firefighting in a vertical world

Hong Kong’s high-risk architecture is hardly unique. Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City, Manila, and Singapore all rely on densely packed residential towers. Urbanisation in Asia has been built on the logic of maximising land use by building upward.

Yet the higher a building rises, the more fatal a fire becomes. Once flames reach above the 20th or 30th floor, even the best-equipped fire brigade becomes nearly powerless.

In the case of Tai Po, the fire reportedly spread through tightly packed bamboo scaffolding, highly flammable plastic coverings, and ageing building materials.

But these are not the root causes. The deeper failure lies in regulation, foresight, and technological adoption. Fire safety frameworks in many cities remain stuck in the 20th century, even as buildings have climbed into the 21st-century sky.

Fire prevention must replace fire reaction

The global response to this tragedy should not be limited to blaming faulty alarms, outdated sprinklers, or slow emergency deployment. The world must shift from detecting fires to preventing them entirely.

This is where innovators like Connected Innovation, founded by London-based fire-prevention engineer Anthony Parfitt, offer a glimpse of the future. Instead of waiting for smoke to trigger an alarm, the company’s systems detect electrical overheating, short-circuit risks, overloaded sockets, combustible material stress, and even water leaks that signal deeper structural dangers. In other words, the technology exists to stop a fire before it becomes a flame.

Urban authorities, developers, and policymakers must ask why such systems are not mandatory in high-rise residential towers, especially in climates where humidity, heat, and overburdened electrical systems make fires even more likely.

Vertical density requires a new social contract

As more people live in compact high-rise units, cities cannot rely on old assumptions. Density amplifies danger. When a fire erupts in a vertical environment, it spreads horizontally, vertically, and diagonally with astonishing speed.

The Tai Po inferno revealed how quickly a blaze can jump from one scaffolding platform to another. But it also showed how many lives were placed in danger simply because the city did not adjust its policies to match its architecture.

This raises urgent questions for Malaysia and Asean: Are our own high-rise clusters adequately regulated? Are electrical systems in older flats being audited regularly? Do developers prioritise resilience, or simply cost savings? Are residents educated about the dangers of charging old phones, using cheap extension cords, or overloading sockets?

A Malaysian tragedy of similar scale is not unthinkable. In fact, it is entirely possible–if not inevitable–if nothing changes.

Thousands of potential casualties in minutes

Some might argue that Hong Kong’s fires were freak accidents. They were not. They were predictable. And they were preventable. A single malfunctioning phone charger, a frayed television wire, or an ageing power socket can trigger a chain reaction that kills hundreds or even thousands within minutes. Fire brigades, no matter how professional, cannot climb faster than fire can spread.

This is not a question of heroism. It is a question of physics.

Thus the policy dilemma shifts from emergency response to risk elimination. Urban governments must make early-prevention technology mandatory. Developers must build with non-combustible materials, safe facades, and electrical systems that can be cut off automatically during overheating.

This requires political will–a resource often scarcer than funding.

Hong Kong’s lesson must become Asean’s warning

The Tai Po inferno is a wake-up call not only for Hong Kong, but for every Asian city experiencing rapid verticalisation. Europe should take note as well. Malaysia, Singapore, Vietnam, China, and South Korea–all have ageing towers built decades ago under different codes and economic pressures.

In Kuala Lumpur alone, dozens of apartment blocks from the 1980s and 1990s have electrical systems not designed for modern loads, where every room may now contain multiple mobile devices, large televisions, air conditioners, water heaters, and computers.

This strain multiplies the risk of electrical fires. Yet fire-prevention audits remain inconsistent, and advanced early-risk detection remains optional rather than compulsory.

Asia’s population is expected to exceed 5.3 billion by 2050, with the majority living in urban areas. Vertical living will not decrease. It will accelerate. That means the risks will grow exponentially unless safety culture catches up.

The world cannot afford another preventable inferno

Hat Yai’s unprecedented floods were a reminder of nature’s fury. The Tai Po inferno is a reminder of human neglect. Both share a common lesson: failures in preparation become disasters in execution.

If governments continue treating fire prevention as an afterthought, then the next towering inferno will not be a surprise. It will be a policy failure.

And when lives are lost, the flames will not be to blame. We will.

* Phar Kim Beng is professor of Asean Studies and Director at Institute of International and Asean Studies, at the International Islamic University of Malaysia.  Vic Li Yu Wai is a lecturer in East Asian Studies, at the University of Sheffield. 

** This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.