Sisters aim for fresh start after ‘saying goodbye’ to ruined Wang Fuk Court flat

Residents of two blocks, including one of the worst hit, returned to their fire-ravaged homes at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court on Wednesday hoping to collect belongings, with some vowing to begin a new journey after bidding a final farewell to their flats. While some looked towards a fresh start, others grappled with the loss of cherished belongings and the condition of their homes. Two sisters surnamed Cheung said they only managed to pack photos as their flat on a lower floor of Wang Tai House, where four generations of their family had lived for 42 years, was severely damaged. “We have said goodbye to our home. We actually felt relieved after that. We hope to make a fresh start; Hong Kong people must unite and hope for a better tomorrow,” one of the sisters said with swollen eyes. The inferno that broke out on November 26 killed 168 people, displaced about 5,000 residents and destroyed all but one of the Tai Po estate’s eight blocks. Eighty-two of the deaths occurred at Wang Tai House, with most bodies found in the stairwell. Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died in the blaze, was found on open ground outside the block’s lobby, while some of his gear was recovered on the 31st floor. Another 14 residents were injured, and the fire significantly damaged 58 per cent of flats. A video shared by a resident named Liu, who lived in Wang Tai House for about 40 years, showed his gutted flat, with the doors and windows destroyed and furniture reduced to metal frames. While Wang Kin House suffered less damage, a resident reported the disappearance of her savings and the displacement of her belongings. “My wooden coin box, which is the container I used to keep my savings in, has been emptied,” the resident, surnamed Chung, said, noting that the box had been tucked away inside a cardboard crate for safekeeping. Chung expressed distress over the state of her home, saying many of her possessions had been moved or rearranged. “Some of my things were displaced, and I have no idea how or why this happened,” she added. Wang Kin House resident Ng retrieved about 20 bags of his belongings but hoped to retrieve several smaller pieces of furniture as well. He said the hearings into the tragedy had revealed a lack of clarity regarding the specific roles and responsibilities of various government departments. Ng said he hoped the government could establish an independent commission of inquiry (COI), which has more power, to investigate the fire to provide a definitive account of the events and clarify the duties of the departments to prevent future confusion. Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing, meanwhile, addressed a complaint from a Wang Cheong House resident who said he found his neighbours’ belongings in his flat when he returned on Tuesday. Cheuk said preliminary investigations showed rescuers moved debris and some personal belongings into common areas while searching for missing pets for tenants in the adjacent flat. He said the situation was unsatisfactory and apologised. A government spokesman said on Wednesday evening that the items were removed and left in a flat during a search operation in which fire officers found pet carcasses. He said it would be arranged for the affected tenant to go back to his flat again. The resident, a man surnamed Chui who lived on the 30th floor of Wang Cheong House, expressed outrage on Tuesday after finding his fire-damaged flat filled with debris and items he believed belonged to neighbours. He said a pile of junk prevented him from searching for his belongings, though he managed to recover wedding rings and a collection of iPhone remnants dating back to the 2G model. Chui reported finding cigarette packs and food waste that were not his, as well as photographs and letters identified as belonging to his neighbours. A social media user claiming to be a neighbour of Chui and the pets’ owner said in a post on Wednesday that the carcasses were found on November 28 and questioned if the government passed the blame to her. She also suspected that her flat had been burgled in the aftermath of the fire. Cheuk also said on Wednesday that while the government expected agreement on limited entry quotas, authorities were prepared to make “alternative arrangements” to ensure all residents had a fair chance to retrieve their belongings. “Our stance on this is very clear. The purpose of arranging access for residents is to allow them to retrieve their belongings,” Cheuk said. “If a consensus cannot be reached, the government will step in to ensure tenants are given a reasonable opportunity to return and collect their belongings.” In the nine days up to Tuesday, residents of four blocks – Wang Shing, Wang Yan, Wang Tao and Wang Cheung houses – visited their flats to pack belongings. A total of 951 households comprising 3,464 people accessed their flats, with 401 households, involving 894 people, returning more than once. Additional reporting by Lo Hoi-ying

Sisters aim for fresh start after ‘saying goodbye’ to ruined Wang Fuk Court flat

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Some residents grapple with loss of belongings and condition of their homes on their return to Wang Tai House and Wang Kin House

Some residents grapple with loss of belongings and condition of their homes on their return to Wang Tai House and Wang Kin House