Just One Month In, New Home Turned to Ashes: Wang Tai Residents Left With Only Ruins

Today (April 30) marks the 11th day for Wang Fuk residents to return to their homes to retrieve their belongings in phases. Among them, Wang Tai House and Wang Cheong House are the most severely hit, with a high number of fatalities.

Today (April 30) marks the 11th day for Wang Fuk residents to return to their homes to retrieve their belongings in phases. Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Ng, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Ng, a resident living on a lower floor of Wang Tai House, managed to retrieve a pair of ivory chopsticks and keepsakes related to his children's births. He described his home as "reduced to ashes, and nothing is left." He said he would think about whether anything else had been overlooked this time. "Having waited for four or five months, we could still manage to get something back. I suppose it's OK," he said.

Mr. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

Mrs. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. and Mrs. Chu, who live on the middle floor of Wang Tai House, had lived in Kwong Fuk Estate for more than a decade before recently purchasing a unit at Wang Fuk Court. They had just finished renovations and had been living there for less than a month when the fire broke out.

The photo showing the current condition of Mr. and Mrs. Chu's unit, Photo by Bastille Post

Mr. Chu said, "The fire can be called a disaster-level. Everything turns to ashes. We have seen some photos of our unit, so we were mentally prepared. There wasn't much hope for the retrieval. We just managed to collect a few pots and bowls, which didn't burn through."

Mrs. Chu wept sorrowfully. "You really have to see it with your own eyes to know how terrible the inner condition can be," she said. Looking forward to the future, she hoped that every Wang Fuk resident could pull themselves up and that the government could provide some possible assistance. "Residents have lost their homes and are displaced. I really hope the government can do a better job to help us."

The pots and bowls retrieved by Mr. and Mrs. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

The pots and bowls retrieved by Mr. and Mrs. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

She mentioned that many residents originally lived in large units of 400 to 500 square feet, but the options provided by the government are limited, with only about 100 large units per location available through a ballot. "It still comes down to luck whether you can get one. It feels like everyone has to struggle for them. That doesn't feel good," she said.

The photo shown by Mr. and Mrs. Chu, Photo by Bastille Post

As for Mr. Chu, he said he would not return to the unit again. "There's no point," he said. "Just take a photo as a souvenir, and say goodbye to our past grief."

Wang Fuk residents continued to return to their units to retrieve personal belongings. 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. 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