Entire Home Gutted, Charred $100,000 Cash: Wang Tai Resident Captures Every Ash-Covered Corner as a Last Goodbye

Ms. Chu and her family had lived in Wang Tai House for over 30 years. Their unit was severely damaged in the fire, and all their belongings,  including approximately HKD$100,000 in cash stored in a safe, were reduced to ashes. "After 30 minutes of going through our things, we realized there was nothing left to salvage," she said.

Ms. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Chu, along with her husband and daughter, returned home to retrieve whatever remained. While she and her husband managed to hold back their tears, their 27-year-old daughter, who had lived in the unit since birth, was devastated. She broke down and cried for nearly half an hour. Only after she had calmed down did the three of them head back downstairs.

Before leaving their former home, they took photos in every corner of the charred unit as a final farewell. They also posed together for a family portrait to preserve the memory.

Wang Tai House was severely damaged in the fire. Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Chu added that since her father had passed away in the Chinese Mainland before, she and her husband made three trips to the Mainland to bring back the approximately HKD$100,000 cash he had left her, which they then placed in a safe at home. Before they could deposit the money in a bank, the fire struck.

The burned cash shown by Ms. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

But luckily, she retrieved a few photo albums. "There were originally more than ten at my home, but now I've only found three or four."

The burned bathroom of Ms. Chu's unit, Photo by Bastille Post

As for the future, Ms. Chu said that since everything had been burned to ashes, she didn't have any plans at the moment. She mentioned that she would wait and see what the government arranges in the coming days. She also expressed hope that a residents' meeting would be held so that affected families could understand the follow-up arrangements.

Wang Fuk residents continued to go upstairs to retrieve their belongings. Photo by Bastille Post

According to police at the scene, a total of 58 households from Wang Kin House and Wang Tai House registered to go upstairs this morning to retrieve their belongings.

Seven fire-affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court will be open to residents again for the retrieval of belongings from May 21 to 29. The first batch of residents to return is from Wang Tai House, Wang Sun House, and Wang Yan House. Each unit may be accessed by up to four residents, who may stay inside for up to three hours, with no restrictions on the number of entries and exits.

Wang Fuk Court, Photo by Bastille Post

Ms. Ho, a Wang Tai resident who has lived there since 1985, said she had already retrieved most of her belongings earlier. This time, she wanted to go through every corner carefully. "Since I have lived in Wang Fuk Court for so many years, I have a deep affection for every part of this place," she said. Despite the heavy rainfall today, she continued her retrieval as scheduled. "I want to take a second, careful look at my home."

Ms. Ho, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Wan, who has also lived in Wang Yan House since 1985, said his greatest wish this time was to retrieve a photo taken more than a decade ago - a picture of his father holding him in their family shop. He grew up in that store and treasures the memory. Mr. Wan revealed that during the previous retrieval, most of his home remained intact, and he had already recovered gold jewelry and the house deed. "I'd be satisfied just to get back a stack of photos this time," he said. Mr. Wan is currently living in government-provided transitional housing, though he believes the living environment needs improvement: "It's hard to cook, the bathroom is tiny, and when it poured yesterday, water leaked right through the ceiling."

Mr. Wan, Photo by Bastille Post

Mrs. Kwok, who lives on a lower floor of Wang Tai House, returned to her old home to retrieve her belongings. She packed up an undamaged umbrella — not particularly valuable, she admitted, but "better than nothing." She also recovered some small souvenirs and her son's Octopus card. Describing her mixed emotions, she said she was grateful to see her old neighbors again, yet could not hide her sadness in the face of the disaster. Choking back tears during the interview, she said, "I'm so grateful that so many people have come to help us. I'm very happy that I can come up again today and retrace the memories of the past." She added that she had known the family in unit 802 for many years and had watched their children grow up. She revealed that the neighbor's father had died in the fire and that many of the neighbors she knew also lost their lives. Mrs. Kwok said she is currently staying in Kai Tak, while her husband is temporarily living at their son's home.

Mrs. Kwok, Photo by Bastille Post

Wang Fuk Court, Photo by Bastille Post

Seven fire-affected buildings at Wang Fuk Court will be open to residents again for the retrieval of belongings from May 21 to 29. Photo by Bastille Post