"It Felt Like Mining": Resident on 17th Floor of Wang Sun Hose Uses Exoskeleton to Retrieve His Belongings

Mr. Tam, a resident of Wang Sun House who arrived fully equipped to retrieve his belongings, explained that he spent several thousand dollars on an exoskeleton supposedly designed to reduce the strain of walking. Living on the 17th floor, he was worried about the physical exertion of climbing the stairs. He had tried walking from the 10th to the 30th floor with the support of the exoskeleton and felt that "the effort was reduced by about half, but the shortness of breath and physical exertion remained unchanged."

Mr. Tam, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Tam spent several thousand dollars on an exoskeleton supposedly designed to reduce the strain of walking. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Tam owns two units. The retrieval schedule allowed one session in the morning and one in the afternoon, with only two people permitted per unit. He would go upstairs with his wife, son, and domestic helper. Due to the severity of the fire damage, he became emotional and choked up during the interview.

He had initially thought he couldn't retrieve anything after seeing photos of the extensive damage, but news reports of people successfully bringing bicycles downstairs rekindled his hope. He hoped to retrieve a small safe, which, although not of high value, contained some gold jewellery. He said he has lived in Wang Sun House for over 30 years, and his son was born here. The two adjacent units were equally damaged by the fire. "Two units holding my precious memories were both destroyed," he said.

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

Mr. Tam found the safe in his burned unit. Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

A toy model was also found by Mr. Tam in his burned unit. Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

After successfully retrieving his belongings, Mr. Tam described the process as "mining" during the interview with him. Fortunately, he found his wife's jewellery. The gold necklace was still gleaming even after the fire. "It didn't look like something found in a fierce fire," he said.

The items Mr. Tam found in his burned unit. Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

The gold necklace Mr. Tam found in his unit. Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

The items Mr. Tam found in his burned unit. Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

Mr. Tam's unit was in extremely poor condition. Even though he had worked in the renovation industry for years, he had never seen anything like it. "Everything was basically charred, and this is the first time I've ever seen glass melted into a lump of unrecognizable things." He estimated he would not go back to his units again, but the personnel on site were still asking if he wanted to go upstairs once more.

"Every time I shoveled, dust would fly up," Mr. Tam said. Fortunately, it was windy today, so the air was relatively well-circulated in the units. During the process, he successfully found his wife's sapphire ring and gold jewellery. "The gold necklace was still sparkling when I found it. It didn't look like something that could be found in a fire."

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

Looking to the future, he said he would let the past grief go. However, he admitted he was still quite upset after witnessing the present condition of his units, feeling that "some things are still here, but they seem different now."

When asked whether three hours was sufficient to collect items, Mr. Tam thought it was enough, as he finished in two and a half hours. Moreover, the damage was so severe that giving more time would not have made a difference. He added, "Originally, the unit allowed two people to enter, but some areas were so badly burned that some places had signs indicating that only one person could go in."

The severe damage inside Mr. Tam's unit, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

He also thanked the police and volunteers during the interview. "They helped me carry the items from the 17th floor to the ground floor and then onto the car."

Mr. Wan, Photo by Bastille Post

Meanwhile, another resident of Wang Sun House, Mr. Wan, who lived on a lower floor, said that as far as he knew, his unit was severely damaged, and he only wanted to retrieve his ancestors' memorial tablets. During the interview, he could not help but shed tears, saying that he grew up in Wang Fuk Court and hoped his neighbours could get over their grief. He also hoped the government could be more understanding of the residents' feelings and situation, provide as much assistance as possible, and arrange for residents to go upstairs multiple times so they would have enough time to retrieve their belongings.

Residents went upstairs to collect their belongings in Wang Sun House. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Today is the second day for residents of Wang Sun House in Wang Fuk Court to return upstairs to retrieve belongings. Yesterday, 77 households with a total of 264 people completed the retrieval process.

Residents returned to Wang Sun House to collect their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post

Photo by Bastille Post

Resident Ah-Keung, said he moved into the unit of Wang Sun House six years ago after marrying his wife. He hoped to retrieve their wedding photos, his wife's dragon-and-phoenix bracelets, and other dowry items. In his view, he was not worried about theft, since his wife's dragon-and-phoenix bracelets were hidden quite well, so well that even he might have forgotten where he put them. He added that he believed there should be enough time, as his unit was merely on the 11th floor and he exercised regularly, so climbing the stairs should not be a problem.

Ah-Keung, Photo by Bastille Post

Ah-Keung also mentioned that his family has divided the tasks: two people would tidy the living room, and two would handle the other rooms. As for today's return, he hoped to see his neighbours if possible, as it was a neighbour who knocked on his door and rescued his wife on the day of the fire. He also thanked Po Leung Kuk and other organisations for their donations, saying that if he could not use up all the funds, he would donate the remainder.

The current state of Ah-keung's unit after the fire. Photo source: shot by Ah-keung

The current state of Ah-keung's unit after the fire. Photo source: shot by Ah-keung

The current state of Ah-keung's unit after the fire. Photo source: shot by Ah-keung

Mr. Cheung, who accompanied his grandmother to collect belongings today, said he brought a camera to photograph the present interior condition of his unit. In his opinion, today's return might be his last chance to enter the burned unit, so he wanted to record this special moment. He noted that he had not received photos from social workers before, as they believed the condition of his burned unit was not serious. He also felt that the time allotted by the government was simply insufficient; according to him, just sorting through the belongings would likely take a full day.

Mr. Cheung, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Or, who lived on the 18th floor of Wang Sun House, arrived early with his family to collect their belongings. Due to his mobility issues, he explained that he could only slowly climb the stairs with the aid of a cane. His main goal was to retrieve some sentimental and valuable items. Returning home to collect these possessions had always been his wish these days, and he had been waiting for this day for a long time, so he was not afraid of the hardship. He said he would try to face whatever scene he might encounter with a calm mind.

Mr. Or, Photo by Bastille Post

Wang Fuk Court, Photo by Bastille Post