"All I Wanted to Retrieve Turned to Ashes, but Thankfully I'm Alive": Tai Po Fire Survivor's Bittersweet Relief

Mr. Chow, a resident of a lower floor of Wang Cheong House was scheduled to retrieve his belongings today (April 23). He described his unit as "burning very badly — all burned through." He said, though he wanted to retrieve something, but unfortunately most of his belongings turned into ashes. In the end, he only got back some jewelry, ornaments and other monumental items. He lamented that what had happened could not be undone. "After so much time, I had to let go," he said. "What I'm happiest about is that I'm still here."

Mr. Chow, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Kwok, who said "half of her unit was burned down," has lived in Wang Yan House for more than 40 years. She was accompanied by her family for retrieval today. She said her main goal was to retrieve valuables and photo albums. She has now been placed by the government in Hung Shui Kiu, where she met many neighbours, and they cared for each other. She was still unsure how to choose or apply for a replacement unit. "I hope there could be a good solution for us in the future," she said.

Ms. Kwok, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Choi, a resident of the third floor of Wang Cheong House, was relieved that his unit had not been affected by the fire. He said most of his belongings had been retrieved, including clothing, music scores, books, and documents, all of which hold sentimental value and memories for him. Although his unit was close to the fire's origin, he was glad it had escaped damage.

Mr. Choi, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Lam, a resident of Wang Yan House, said she had retrieved some dried tangerine peel, but could not complete her retrieval within the time limit today. She expressed hope that she could be allowed to return to her unit again and collect the books and other useful items left behind in the future.

Ms. Lam (right), Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Lam added that she hadn't lost anything and praised "The police were very helpful, and so was the Civil Aid Service."

Mr. Yip, a resident of Wang Tai House whose unit was severely damaged in the Tai Po fire, lost his wife in the blaze. According to Mr. Yip, his wife alerted neighbours to escape, saving five lives, but tragically did not survive. He said that when he goes upstairs to retrieve his belongings in the coming days, he will bring a bouquet of flowers in memory of his wife. "I would tell her to leave, not to stay here," he said. He noted there would be no other special memorial ceremony — that he would simply stare blankly at a spot in his unit.

Mr. Yip, Photo by Bastille Post

According to government arrangements, residents of Wang Tai House will not be able to collect their belongings until the middle of next week. Mr. Yip returned to Wang Fuk Court today to prepare, planning to go upstairs tomorrow (April 24) with his two sons and daughter-in-law to retrieve their belongings. His sons live on the 6th floor of Wang Cheong House. They have prepared backpacks and bags.

Some of the Wang Fuk residents returned to their units to retrieve their belongings today. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Yip said he was worried that three hours would not be enough. He also said he did not want to use the word "farewell," because he hoped to return to his own unit for living in the future. He believed that many units did not appear to be severely damaged, and the government could propose a win-win solution, allowing repairable units to be fixed so that residents could go home.

Residents prepared bags to pack their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post

In addition, Mr. Yip pointed out that the government spent four months and a significant amount of money dismantling scaffolding. He questioned why at least one elevator in each building had not been repaired during that period, so that elderly residents could return home more easily.

Mr. Yip, Photo by Bastille Post