A week has passed since the No.5 Alarm fire broke out in Tai Po. Among the eight buildings of Wang Fuk Court, only Wang Chi House has not been affected by the fire. From this Wednesday, the authorities have arranged for the residents of Wang Chi House to return to their homes to retrieve their belongings. Ms Wong, a resident of the building, has gone back home to retrieve her belongings and her children's supplies. She said that her family lived in several units in Wang Fuk Court separately. One of the twin sisters surnamed Yam who died in the fire, was her sister-in-law, which has made her family feel extremely heartbroken.
Ms Wong has gone back home to retrieve her belongings and her children's supplies. Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Wong describes herself as "born and raised in Tai Po" and has lived in the area for over 30 years. Her parents, younger brother, elder sister, and mother-in-law all live in Wang Fuk Court. The family owns a total of five properties, located in Wang Kin House and Wang Tai House. Currently, the two units in Wang Tai House have been severely burned down. During these days, her family members are temporarily staying in the homes of relatives and friends. All of their life and work have been significantly affected by the fire. As for the future, she and her family hope to continue living in Tai Po without planning to move away from the area. Considering this, she hoped her family could have enough luck to be arranged to stay in Tai Po by the authorities in the following days.
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Ms Wong has gone back home to retrieve her belongings and her children's supplies. Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr Mak, Photo by Bastille Post
Ms Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
When asked whether she would return to her previous unit to live, she admitted that she had not yet decided. "If I come back to live, I will face a lot of sadness; but if I don't come back to live, my assets will be a problem." Moreover, she emphasized that at this stage, "everything cannot be 100% decided yet." Regarding the future arrangements of the properties, she believed that "the residents would want to rebuild the whole Wang Fuk Court. We don't want to see merely Wang Chi House will be left here."
Ms Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
In the fire, a pair of 30-year-old twin women surnamed Yam, unfortunately lost their lives. One of them was the sister-in-law of Ms Wong. She said that her family was extremely heartbroken about the news, but they would face it bravely and deal with the related procedures together. "There may be many difficult things in the following days, but we still have to move forward. No one could help us get rid of the sadness. The one that can help us would merely be ourselves." She also hoped that "her children would return to their normal life pace soon."
Mr Mak, Photo by Bastille Post
Another resident, Mr. Mak, also returned to his residence to pack up his belongings. He said that he and his parents, a family of three, were temporarily staying at a relative's home. He admitted that he did not want to return to live in the unit in Wang Fuk Court, but he still had no specific plans for future arrangements yet.
The Tai Po fire has caused over a hundred casualties so far. As for the police, they have completed the search work in five buildings of Wang Fuk Court. At present, the residents of Wang Chi House, the building in Wang Fuk Court that has not been affected by the fire, can start to return to the building to retrieve their important personal belongings. Each household is limited to two people entering Wang Chi House at the same time and can stay there for a maximum of one and a half hours.
The residents of Wang Chi House can be allowed to enter the building and take some personal belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
The residents of Wang Chi House can be allowed to enter the building and take some personal belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
Mrs. Szeto, a resident of Wang Chi House living together with her family members for over thirty years, said that she had experienced great emotional ups and downs in the past week. During the interview, she even choked with sobs several times. She said that with the help of the social worker responsible for taking care of her family, she stayed at a hotel for a few days. Nevertheless, as for the arrangement in the future, she thought there were still many unknowns. Mrs. Szeto pointed out that many transitional houses are now fully occupied, only the houses in Yuen Long and Ta Kwu Ling would be available. However, she and her family cannot live in such a faraway place. "The distance is too far. We can't go to work on time."
Mrs. Szeto, Photo by Bastille Post
Mr. Yik said he still felt quite heart-shaken when recalling his fleeing. Although he successfully took his cat to run out of the building together with him, he admitted that everything he saw and heard at that time was "so terrifying". Mr. Yik pointed out that the fire alarm didn't go off at all on that day. He only learned about the fire when he received a call from his son. In a panic, he only took the cat and fled as fast as he could. When he was allowed to return to Wang Chi House to take some personal belongings, he brought some clothes and valuable items back with him. In his eyes, the government had arranged sufficient time for them to adjust their emotions and living pace recently. Moreover, he also expressed sincere thanks to all the volunteers for helping him carry the luggage. Mr. Yik pointed out that since his wife worked in a hospital, his family could have the chance to stay in a hotel for these days.
Mr. Yik, Photo by Bastille Post
The 98-year-old Grandma Wong and her pet dog Lily had left Wang Chi House safely when the fire disaster occurred. Since she was allowed to take some personal belongings from her home recently, she returned to her residence to retrieve some documents with the company of helpers. She said that since the hospital had already arranged for the medicine she needed to take to be delivered to her hand, there was no need for her to retrieve the medicine from home. After the fire, Grandma Wang has been living with her daughter these days. At the time of the incident, her daughter-in-law called to inform her of the fire. When Grandma Wong opened the door to flee, her dog Lily walked away for some time. Fortunately, Lily still waited for Grandma Wong and the foreign domestic helper to leave together.
Grandma Wong, Photo by Bastille Post
Her pet dog Lily, Photo by Bastille Post
When recalling the moment of the incident, Grandma Wong said she still felt quite shocked these days. "My body feels like jelly at that time." She said that when she got back home today, the social worker kindly helped her tidy up all the food that had been kept for days in the refrigerator. When asked about her plan in the future, Grandma Wong said that she hoped to return to her old residence in Wang Chi House after the building could be unblocked, saying, "I want to go back and live in my own home."
The residents of Wang Chi House can be allowed to enter the building and take some personal belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
The residents of Wang Chi House can be allowed to enter the building and take some personal belongings. Photo by Bastille Post
