3 cats and turtle rescued from Hong Kong residential complex days after fire
They were handed over to Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, which said time is running out for other pets still trapped at Wang Fuk Court
Several more pets have been rescued from the burned buildings of a residential complex in Tai Po, as animal charities continued to search for separated owners and expressed concerns that animals still trapped will have gone days without food or water.
Authorities said on Saturday that a sweep of two blocks where flames were first extinguished at Wang Fuk Court – Wang Yan House and Wang Tao House – found no human remains, but three cats and a turtle were rescued and passed to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
The city’s largest animal charity said on Friday afternoon that 243 animals had been recorded as “affected” by the fire, with 92 found as of that morning. It did not have a breakdown on how many were alive. The rest remained unaccounted for.
“At this stage, our greatest concern is that the pets at Wang Chi [House] have been without food and water for three days and nights,” the SPCA said on Saturday, referring to the only block out of the estate’s eight buildings that was unaffected by the inferno.
But residents have been unable to return home to fetch their pets given the entire complex has been blocked off, as rescuers concentrated their efforts on the other seven buildings.