Wang Fuk Resident Trusts Space-Material Urn to Bring Beloved Cat's Ashes Home

Starting April 20, residents of Wang Fuk Court have been allowed to return to their flats in batches to retrieve their belongings. The first group to go upstairs for collection was residents of Wang Sun House. Today (April 22), the third day, residents continued to arrive in the morning with suitcases and backpacks.

Residents continued to arrive in the morning with suitcases and backpacks. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Tang, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Tang, a resident of the 24th floor of Wang Sun House, said her top priority is to retrieve her beloved cat's ashes, wedding photos, and wedding ring. She said her cat lived to be 19 years old and gave birth to four kittens, all of which Ms. Tang delivered herself. During the interview, she appeared to have a very accepting attitude, noting that while she did not know the extent of the fire damage inside her unit, the doorway, which was not badly damaged, made her believe everything would not be so bad. She also pointed out that her cat's ashes were kept in a stainless steel box and a porcelain urn. "Stainless steel has a melting point of over 1,000 degrees Celsius, and the porcelain urn is said to be made from materials used in space." She is confident she will find her cat's ashes, even joking to the reporter, "Do you think it'll be okay?"

Fortunately, in the afternoon, Ms. Tang told the reporter she has successfully retrieved her cat's ashes.

The ashes of Ms. Tang's cat, Photo source: Offered by Ms. Tang's brother

Ms. Ho, Photo by Bastille Post

The daughter of Ms. Ho, Miss Wong, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Ho, who lives on the 25th floor, said her daughter's greatest wish was to retrieve her cello, which has accompanied her since childhood. When asked whether the three-hour time slot for belongings collection would be sufficient, Ms. Ho replied that she planned not to bring any large items downstairs. Her daughter, Miss Wong, added that besides the cello, she also has a piano. Still, she said she had been mentally prepared for either outcome: the piano intact or destroyed.

Mrs. Ng, Photo by Bastille Post

Mrs. Ng, 73 years old, who also lives on the 25th floor, said that since she was "in poor health and often got sick" and "couldn't sleep well", she would not go upstairs herself and would ask her family to do it for her. She mentioned that social workers had not provided her with photos of her unit. "I won't know the situation until I arrive there." Her biggest hope was to retrieve her children's photos and identification documents. "As for the rest, I hope I can take as much as I can." She added that if the damage was not too severe and there were items to salvage in her unit, she would try to go upstairs more times.

Ms. Leung, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Leung, a resident of the 27th floor, said that since she exercised regularly, she was not too worried about having to climb the stairs to her unit. Although she did not know the current condition of her unit, she had already decided what she wanted to take and believed the allotted time would be enough. What she wanted to retrieve most was the costumes she wore for grand opera performances.

Photo by Bastille Post

Affected by the Tai Po fire, residents of Wang Sun House have gradually returned to their units to retrieve their personal belongings. Mr. Tam, who has lived there for many years, wore his exoskeleton assistive equipment upstairs. After collecting the belongings, the son of Mr. Tam uploaded a photo of the Zaku figure his father retrieved from their burned unit to a Gundam fan Facebook group. As the post was published, many Gundam fans left comments to cheer the family up.

Mr. Tam and his son, Photo by Bastille Post

The Zaku model retrieved by Mr. Tam, Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

Photo source: Offered by Mr. Tam

In the post, Mr. Tam's son shared the fire-damaged Zaku model and commented: "The fact proves that the production material is fireproof." As can be seen from the photo, although the Zaku model shows obvious signs of fire damage, it remains standing upright after being cleaned. Many netizens left messages of condolence. Some simply wrote "take care," while others encouraged the family by saying, "the most important thing is that every family member is safe." Some said that although the model was damaged, "it can be replaced with a new one," and expressed hope that Mr. Tam and his family would soon emerge from the haze of the disaster.

The post published by Mr. Tam's son, Photo source: Screenshot of the FB group

Many netizens left messages of condolence to Mr. Tam and his family. Photo source: Screenshot of the FB group

The Zaku figure that Mr. Tam retrieved after the fire appears to match the series of Fascinations ICONX Metal Earth 3D Steel Model Kit. Based on the model's shape and the unburned parts, the reporter estimated that it is likely a metal sheet assembly-type collectible model. The Product information shows that the MS-06 Zaku II model in this series is made of steel plates and is considered a relatively difficult model to assemble.

Fascinations ICONX Metal Earth 3D Steel Model Kit, Photo source: online image