Residents Voluntarily Expressed Condolences for the Victims of the Tai Po Fire

The Wang Fuk Court is still sealed off at present. Many citizens have come to lay flowers at the nearby open spaces. Some families have come together to express their condolences to the victims. Some citizens expressed their deep sorrow over the numerous deaths at the tragic fire and hoped that the government could do something to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

At the open spaces near the Wang Fuk Court, numerous citizens silently placed the flowers outside the cordon of the building. Many of them lowered their heads or prayed in silence,  mourning for the residents who had lost their lives in the tragic fire.

Mr. Chow and his teenage son, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Chow and his teenage son, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Chow expressed his condolences to the victims in the Tai Po fire, Photo by Bastille Post

Among them. Mr. Chow came with his teenage son. He said that his son had come to the site to deliver water to the victims earlier. Feeling heartbroken about the fire disaster, Mr. Chow said that he hoped the government could do something in the future to "prevent similar tragic fires from happening again".

In addition, a couple also brought their teenage son to express their condolences. The son said that he had witnessed the fierce flame burning in the Wang Fuk Court when passing by on the bus. Worrying about the residents' recent condition, he came to the site to have a look and wanted to do something to show his concern. The son's mother said that although her son was not too emotionally affected by the incident, they still all hoped to come to the fire site and mourn the loss of the residents.

Hossein Bahrami Nekoo, Photo by Bastille Post

Hossein Bahrami Nekoo, a Hong Kong resident from Iran, said that he had lived in Tai Po for three years and had a very deep emotional connection with the place. "My friends and I had a running group. We often ran together and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of Tai Po in the previous days, which made me have a deep love not only forHong Kong but also for Tai Po." After hearing about this fire disaster, he felt deeply grieved since the beautiful scenery he had viewed in Tai Po was destroyed in a flash in this tragic fire. As a resident who used to live in Tai Po, Mr. Bahrami Nekoo decided to come to the site of the fire and lay flowers to express his grief about the deceased residents during his free time at the weekend.

He also mentioned that some of his fellow runners who still lived in Tai Po had voluntarily formed a group to donate and distribute supplies to the victims after the fire disaster occurred. He believed that although the Tai Po fire was cruel for its deprivation of numerous lives, many Hong Kong residents, whether they were his friends around him or the firefighters and police on the front line of rescue, united together to help the victims get through this difficult time. Such a spirit of unity and mutual assistance has deeply moved him.

Mr. Chow (left) and Mr. Lam (right), Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Lam, a university student majoring in Communications, together with Mr. Chow, a Year 11 student from Ling Liang Church M H Lau Secondary School in Tai Po, voluntarily organized an activity of distributing free black ribbons to the residents at the fire site. Mr. Chow said that one of his friends passed away in this fire. Recalling his friend's death, he tried his best to hold back tears during the interview. He said that he hoped to do something to help the citizens affected by the tragic fire get through such a tough time. Even though he might not provide much practical help, he still hoped to reach out a helping hand to the residents. As for Mr. Lam, he said that although no one he knew had died in the fire, he still felt heartbroken for the loss of many Hong Kong people. In his eyes, distributing black ribbons might not directly help the affected residents, but he hoped such a behaviour could offer some emotional comfort to the residents' hearts.

The residents of Wang Chi House in Wang Fuk Court have continued to return home to collect their belongings. Ms Leung, who lives in Wang Chi House, said she came back to take important documents and necessary supplies. She pointed out that the government has arranged for her to return after three or four weeks. Currently, all the units of Wang Chi House have water and electricity, and the elevators are operating normally. However, the floor is wet. Ms Leung also mentioned that apart from the door, there is no damage to her house for the time being.

The residents of Wang Chi House in Wang Fuk Court have continued to return home to collect their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms Leung, Photo by Bastille Post

The 73-year-old man, Mr Lam, has lived in Wang Shing House of Wang Fuk Court for over 40 years. In his eyes, the main cause of the fire disaster was the malfunction of the fire protection system, while the biggest problem was the management company's operations. Additionally, he hoped that the government could help to provide housing assistance to the affected residents, "At least I can have a place to settle down." said Mr Lam. He also hoped that he could be resettled to another place away from the area near Wang Fuk Court since returning here would bring psychological trauma to him. At present, He has stayed temporarily at the Royal Plaza Hotel in Mong Kok for about two weeks. After that, he will need to find volunteers or social workers to follow up on subsequent matters. "Although staying in Mong Kok is convenient, it cannot be a forever solution." he said.

Mr Lam, Photo by Bastille Post

Emmanuel Serna, a French journalist who has lived in Hong Kong for over a decade, said that it was very moving to see volunteers come to the site of the fire and reach out a helping hand to the affected residents. When he saw the fire disaster on TV, he had mixed feelings: "I think it's very sad. Many people are suffering. A lot of people died. They have lost everything, so it's very sad."

Emmanuel Serna, Photo by Bastille Post