The number of tall buildings is increasing, especially in cities, in line with the growth of the world population.
And after the catastrophic fire that broke out in Hong Kong this week, millions of people who live and work in tall buildings around the world might wonder:
"What should I do if my building catches fire?"
"The higher a building goes, the further away its occupants are from the point of greatest safety during a fire," Ben Levy, chairman of the UK's National Group for Fire Brigade Commanders on High-Rise Building Fires, told the BBC.
It points out some basic things people can do to increase their chances of survival in a fire, in any situation.
“When you notice a building on fire, call the fire department,” says Levi.
"If you know of a fire near you, first make sure you are safe yourself, and then call the emergency services."
"Don't automatically assume someone has already done it," he recommends.
In a fire, every second counts.
"The sooner we know about him, the faster we can send help, which allows us to save as many lives as possible," Levi notes.
"Secondly, stay calm. Walk normally to the nearest exit," he adds.
"This will allow for an orderly evacuation, avoid blocking escape routes and firefighters' rescue work."
"And if you can, first make sure you are safe and help those who may have mobility problems," the expert says.
The challenge with tall buildings, however, where the only available escape route usually means going down the stairs, is congestion, as a stream of people from each floor converge on the narrow staircases.
Descending stairs in real evacuations is much slower than most people expect.
In controlled or exercise conditions, people descend at a speed of about 0,4–0,7 meters per second.
But in a real emergency, especially in the case of a fire in a skyscraper, this can be drastically reduced.
The main factor is exhaustion.
Long walks significantly reduce the speed of descent.
And the vast majority of people evacuating from tall buildings pause at least once.
During a 2010 fire in a residential skyscraper in Shanghai, China, nearly half of the elderly survivors said they had significantly slowed their walking.
See the aftermath of the catastrophic fire in Hong Kong:
Steady rhythm
The speed of evacuation can be further slowed by the understandable desire of families, where older or younger members may move more slowly, to huddle together as they flee, rather than walking in a single file.
"My research shows that when people come with families, they create a polygon of shapes, even on the staircase," Professor Milad Haghani, who studies urban risk, resilience and mobility, at the University of Melbourne, Australia, tells the BBC.
This means there is a lot of space trapped between them that is unusable.
This can lead to congestion and slow down the crowd.
"If a family or a group of people who are together can form a snake, grabbing the back of each other's clothes, it significantly increases the efficiency of the flow of people," he says, adding that he has conducted such experiments.
Levi says, "It might help if people count, 'One, two, three, four...' together to keep a steady rhythm," while those who can hold onto the stair railing during the descent.
"Be aware, however, that as you descend, firefighters may also be climbing the stairs," he adds.
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Experts agree that the real key to surviving a skyscraper fire is in preparation.
Knowing the building's fire exits and general layout can be crucial, especially for residents who may need to escape in the middle of the night.
Instead of always taking the elevator to the ground floor, try taking the stairs sometimes, suggests Levi.
“Get a feel for what it’s like to go down the stairs before you need to in an emergency,” he says.
"Be prepared in advance for every eventuality."
Hagani points out that people tend to freeze up during emergencies.
"Naturally, a lot of people hesitate when they hear the fire alarm and the information," he tells the BBC.
"Usually the ones who survive are the people who react very quickly."
"And that's related to how much education and awareness they've received about fire evacuations and how much fire evacuation drills they've been subjected to."
Levi also highlights the importance of ensuring that buildings are as safe as possible.
“We all take for granted that our buildings are safe and built to approved standards that will withstand a fire,” he says.
"Then, fire safety principles regarding fire exits, partitioning, and structural integrity should hold up and keep residents safe, safe enough to evacuate the building if they wish."
"Unfortunately, we have seen too many examples of tall buildings around the world where these assumptions have not been proven correct."
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