The Surrounding Residents' Reflections about Tai Po Fire

The fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po has seen a continuous rise in the number of casualties. Up to now, many residents are still losing contact with their loved ones. The sudden disaster has been a nightmare for the affected residents, and all Hong Kong citizens are feeling extremely mournful.

Some of Ms. Lai's friends living in Wang Fuk Court had lost their lives in the fire. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Lai, who lives nearby, said she was extremely distressed by the fire. She said that some of her friends who lived in Wang Fuk Court had lost their lives in the fire. "Just a few days ago, we were still playing together, but suddenly we couldn't see each other anymore." While saying, Ms. Lai's eyes couldn't help but well up with tears. She mentioned that although her friend's passing was heart-wrenching, she would still be brave to face the reality and try her best to get through such difficult times. She was very grateful to the police and firefighters who participated in the fire rescue. Although she didn't witness the rescue firsthand, she heard that the relevant personnel did their best to rescue the trapped people. She believed that under the guidance of Hong Kong residents' characteristics of "being strong and determined to start a new life", and with everyone's concerted efforts, the residents would get out of the sorrow of the tragic fire soon.

Mr. Chan said that the fire might deal a heavy blow to all the students in Tai Po, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Chan, who works as a tutor, said that upon hearing the Tai Po fire, he couldn't sleep all night. He believed that most of the Hong Kong residents would share the extremely heartbroken emotion with each other. For his students who reside in Wang Fuk Court, he was pleased to know they were fortunate to have safely fled from the fire with their families. However, he still heard that some students' parents have yet to be reached, and some even passed away in the fire. "This experience might deal a heavy blow to all the students in Tai Po. Even if the tragedy happened to someone else, the self mood would unavoidably be affected." he sighed.

Mr. Leung hoped that "the government would do better" and added that he should be content about his current situation when compared with other residents of Wang Fuk Court. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Leung, the resident of Wang Fuk Court, said that although he was not affected by the fire, he still felt quite lost. When asked if he still needed any help, he expressed that everyone's needs were different and he had no other demands. He only hoped that "the government would do better" and added that he should be content about his current situation when compared with other residents of Wang Fuk Court.

Mr. Lai had confidence that Hong Kong residents would unite as one to get through such difficult times. Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, a resident, Mr. Lai, mentioned that his sister, who is travelling, is now anxiously searching for her friends who lost contact in the fire through phone calls and social communication apps. He sincerely hopes that his sister can receive the messages from friends soon. He said that the Tai Po fire was truly shocking, but he had confidence that Hong Kong residents would unite as one to get through such difficult times.

The No.5 Alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court has caused severe casualties. During the search-and-rescue period, firefighters not only raced against time to rescue the residents of the buildings, but also saved many pets, whose owners expressed their gratitude to the firefighters for their selfless dedication to saving lives.

Some notices for searching for missing pets have been posted at the open spaces outside Wang Fuk Court. Photo by Bastille Post

At the open spaces outside Wang Fuk Court, some notices for searching for missing pets have been posted. Calling the mobile numbers on the notices, the Bastille Post's reporter has contacted the owner of the two missing kittens, "Sai Lou Zai" and "Sek Zai". She said that there were a total of eight kittens in her home. Although "Sai Lou Zai" and "Sek Zai" have still not been found yet, her other six kittens were all rescued by firefighters and sent back to her safely.

The photos of "Sai Lou Zai" and "Sek Zai", Photo by Bastille Post

"I'm very grateful that the firefighters have really made great efforts to rescue my cats. They have searched corner by corner, wall by wall, room by room in the burned buildings to help me find my cats. Moreover, during the search-and-rescue period, they also placed cat food and water in the places where cats might appear in the buildings, to let the kittens have timely food replenishment." said the owner. She also pointed out that her six rescued kittens were all in good condition. As for her, she sincerely hoped that the two lost kittens could return home safely and reunite with the other cats in the following days.

Some notices for searching for missing pets have been posted at the open spaces outside Wang Fuk Court. Photo by Bastille Post

Besides, at the open spaces for residents to lay flowers near Wang Fuk Court, Ms. Be and her friends have voluntarily provided pet food, pet cages, leashes, and other supplies for the pet owners affected by the fire. They've also set up a "Bulletin Board for Little Animals" for residents to write messages to pray for the animals that died in the disaster.

Ms. Be and her friends have voluntarily provided pet food, pet cages, leashes, and other supplies for the pet owners affected by the fire. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Be mentioned that she is also a volunteer for rescuing stray animals. After learning about the Tai Po fire, she was very concerned about the plight of the little animals at Wang Fuk Court. Hence, she immediately contacted her friends, who are also dedicated to animal protection as she is, and rushed to the fire site together to provide material assistance to pet families in need.

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

"During these days, we have helped many families to take care of their pets, ensuring that these little animals can have enough food to eat and a warm place to rest in time." Meanwhile, she also mentioned that she had witnessed the corpses of many small animals when she stayed at the site of fire recently, which made her feel extremely heartbroken. "When the dead turtles and cats were found, their bodies had all turned black, almost like carbon. It was really painful to see such a scene."

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Be said that she was quite gratified to help many families and their pets reunite after such a tragic fire. Moreover, she also sincerely prayed for those little animals that unfortunately lost their lives in the fire, hoping that they could rest in peace in heaven and "enjoy tranquility on the rainbow bridge".

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post