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

In its report, the Independent Committee on the Wang Fuk Court fire has put forward a series of immediate recommendations within the terms of reference of the various government departments. After analysis, the committee determined that the rapid spread of the fire at Wang Fuk Court was critically due to the use of combustible materials in temporary works, which created a continuous vertical fuel source. Evidence also showed that highly flammable foam boards were a key factor enabling the fire to spread between different units.

The committee suggested that the use of combustible materials, such as foam boards, on windows and external walls must be immediately prohibited. Photo source: reference image

In view of this, the committee has made multiple immediate recommendations. First, the use of combustible temporary materials, including foam boards, non-fire-retardant safety nets and plastic canvasses, must be immediately prohibited in light wells or related adjacent areas. Second, the storage of flammable temporary materials, wooden boards, or construction scaffolding materials above ground-floor exits must be immediately prohibited. In addition, the use of combustible materials, such as foam boards, on windows and external walls must be immediately prohibited.

The report also recommends an immediate prohibition on the creation of access openings in staircases and lift lobbies. If such openings cannot be avoided, then in accordance with the Buildings Department's circular letter of March this year, any opening in an escape staircase must be protected by a temporary fire barrier, and that barrier must have fire resistance performance equivalent to that of the original fire barrier. Meanwhile, all windows along escape routes must be fitted with fire-rated glass or fire-resistant glass meeting specified standards.

Wang Fuk Court. Photo source: reference image

The committee also noted that some older buildings retain staircase windows with upper sections that can be opened for ventilation, while lift lobbies also have openable windows. The committee recommends that, where the Government identifies similar designs, temporary warnings should be issued to ensure that these windows are kept closed; in the longer term, a review should be conducted to determine whether such designs should be replaced by sealed fire-rated windows.

In addition, the report recommends that, for large-scale maintenance involving more than one building, all external wall repairs must be carried out in phases.