Hong Kong Fire Victims Begin Emotional Return to Devastated Homes
For the first time since Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades engulfed their apartment complex last November, thousands of displaced residents are returning to see what remains of their homes. The process, which began Monday, is expected to continue into early May as victims confront the physical and emotional devastation left by the tragedy that claimed 168 lives.
A Heartbreaking Homecoming
Keung Mak, 78, prepared himself mentally for what he would find when he returned to the apartment where he and his wife Kit Chan, 74, had lived for over forty years and raised their children. A photo from his social worker had already revealed the extent of the destruction: the ceiling burned so severely that steel rebar was visible, the floor littered with broken tiles, and structural damage requiring reinforcement to prevent collapse.
"My heart is heavy, I'm very disappointed. I didn't expect the first floor would be burned like this," Mak said ahead of his return. The couple cherished many items now likely destroyed, including a fishing rod Mak's son bought him as a gift, wedding photos from half a century ago, and letters from their son.
"A lot of things with commemorative value are all gone," said Chan. "Not even a single piece of paper will be left."
Physical and Emotional Challenges
The return presents particular difficulties for the complex's older residents, who made up over a third of the approximately 4,600 people living there before the blaze. With elevators out of service, some elderly residents have been training to improve their fitness in preparation for climbing stairs in the 31-story buildings.
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk noted that over 1,400 people registered for the return are 65 years old or older, according to public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong. Residents will typically be allowed to stay in their apartments for up to three hours, with up to four people entering. In severely damaged units, only one person can go in.
Complex Emotions and Unanswered Questions
Cyrus Ng, 39, who lived on the 10th floor of the Wang Fuk Court complex with his parents for over a decade before moving out, described the emotional turmoil following the fire. "We know there are suspicious issues behind this," he said. "I hope we can really find the truth."
A lawyer representing an independent committee conducting an ongoing inquiry into the fire's cause has stated that almost all fire safety appliances in the apartment blocks failed on the day of the blaze due to human error. People are still waiting for the complete results of the investigation.
Ng has mixed feelings about returning to their apartment, which was spared the worst damage. He fears the emotional impact on his parents but looks forward to retrieving their title deed, old photos, clothes, and other valuable items. He also expressed concern about theft after months of vacancy, noting that police arrested three men in March on suspicion of stealing from the estate.
Resettlement Controversy and Lingering Trauma
The government has indicated that repairing the damaged buildings cost-effectively would be difficult. Officials are inclined to demolish the seven fire-ravaged buildings and have proposed buying back homeownership rights from fire victims, citing results from a residents' survey.
Some residents question this stance, as data from the fire inquiry shows that only half of approximately 1,700 apartments in the seven buildings suffered varying degrees of damage. Ng wonders if some buildings could be repaired to allow residents to move back in, though his parents were already considering the government's offer of an apartment elsewhere.
Other residents who lived in the only building in the complex that escaped the fire face the trauma of living with nightmarish memories. Stephanie Leung, a resident of that block, is reluctant to live in the same apartment again, saying her family would face great mental stress every time they looked out over the seven other buildings where former schoolmates or friends died.
"Whenever I go back, I want to cry," she said, hoping the government would include her block in the same plan as the other buildings while allowing those who want to remain to stay.
In the meantime, displaced residents have been living as best they can, scattered across the city, many in temporary housing as they wait to find out where they can resettle permanently. The exteriors of some buildings remain blackened from the flames, serving as a constant reminder of the tragedy that continues to shape their lives nearly five months later.
