The smell of smoke filled the apartment as Mr and Mrs Wong brought home eight red-white-and-blue and IKEA bags filled with their belongings, taken from their old house, now burnt and damaged by the fire.
Their daughter must have been overjoyed to be reunited with her collection of storybooks, but all she could do was draw in the smell of ashes that still lingered on the paper six months after the fire at Wang Fuk Court last November.
The Wongs were among the residents who returned to their fire-ravaged apartments to collect their belongings from mid-April to early May. On their appointed day, residents of Wang Fuk Court climbed the property’s steps, fighting against a three-hour time limit to take what they could, reminisce about their former homes and honor the dead.
It was also a cathartic experience for some as they tried to pick up the pieces β literally and figuratively β in the wake of the deadly tragedy.
The inferno at the government-subsidized estate in Tai Po in November last year killed 168 people and has since displaced thousands more. An inquest is underway to identify the cause of the fire β the city’s deadliest in decades β and to hear testimony from residents, government officials and others.
The Wong family was able to salvage some memories and belongings, including the daughter’s books and birthday cards from friends, an old photo album and a hard drive containing photos and videos from the past decade.
| π‘The HKFP provides anonymity to known sources under strictly controlled and limited circumstances set out therein Code of Ethics. Among the reasons senior editors may approve the use of anonymity for sources are security threats, job security, or fear of retaliation. |
“Some of the books were gifts from friends, and some of them she bought with her own pocket money. When she saw the things in Wang Fuk’s court returned, she was very happy. But at the same time, all those things smelled of smoke,” said Ms Wong, who declined to give her full name for privacy reasons.
She recalled that her daughter, unable to bear the stench, retreated to her room. “She said, ‘I have to hide in my room, the living room smells bad!’
Almost six months after the fire, the nine-year-old girl is still suffering from the trauma. She “has become quite sensitive to certain smells and sounds, even the school bell,” Ms Wong told HKFP in a telephone interview this month.
The 38-year-old mother was worried that the smell of smoke – if it lingered – could bring back her daughter’s memories of escaping the burning compound. Both she and her daughter have begun seeing a psychologist to deal with the emotional fallout.
On the fateful day in late November, Ms Wong was working at a local nursery when a neighbor called to say the property was on fire. Her daughter and father-in-law were at home. Mr. and Mrs. Wong tried to call the grandfather several times and luckily, the husband’s call went through.
The girl and her grandfather descended the 27th floor and exited the building through the back entrance – about 20 minutes after the fire broke out.
The Wong family is now living in a rented apartment in Tai Po, the same neighborhood as their old home. Smoke from incense at a nearby traditional temple and sirens from a firehouse are also triggers for the young girl.
For herself, Ms. Wong found some clothes that her mother-in-law had tailored to fit her. The family is still searching for an SD card containing 10-year-old photos, including of her daughter’s birth, hoping it will still be intact in the wreckage.
Ms Wong told HKFP that she cried as she walked up to the 27th-floor flat in Wang Tai House, the second block in Wang Fuk Court that caught fire earlier this month. To her surprise, their apartment seemed to be mostly untouched by the flames, although the intense heat from above and below her apartment had damaged the ceiling and floor.
Before returning to their old apartment, she had given up on what might be her last chance to say goodbye. “What I wanted was to say a proper goodbye to the flat,” Ms Wong said.
Hong Kong authorities have settled on a plan to buy seven blocks in Wang Fuk Court for HK$6.8 billion and a tower largely untouched by the fire for another HK$1 billion, and to demolish the property and turn it into a park or community facility.
“Every time I thought about going back, I would cry. I would worry that I would cry so hard that I wouldn’t have time to pack,” she said. “But I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I had to get up the nerve and pack it.”
Ms Wong also brought flowers to pay tribute to her neighbor who died in the fire. “Seeing the other badly burned units reminded me of all the people who left us,” she said.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have time to say a proper goodbye because she had to go back to packing.
Scaling up and down the 27-story building left the Wongs pressed for time. They were told to leave almost 30 minutes before their three hours were up to account for the time it would take to move all their belongings downstairs.
“I had hoped that I would have some time to sit and let things sink in, but I didn’t even get that,” she said. To the relief of the family, the government has said that residents will have a second chance to return to wealth. “If elected, I would pack the whole country with me,” she said.
Carbon Yip, who lived in a sixth-floor flat in neighboring Wang Cheong House, the first block to catch fire, is planning his second trip back to wealth.
“I will take any opportunity to come back,” said Yip, who spent almost three decades of his life in the estate. “The last time I was home was when I left for work that day, and now we’re back.”
Yip and his wife, Karen, moved into their own apartment after they got married, in the block next to the tower block where his childhood home was. “It wasn’t just property, it was where I grew up,” he told the Wang Fuk court.
“Even if we’re done packing, if we’re allowed to go back, I’d still like to go back, even if it’s just to sit.”
The couple, along with his older brother and father, returned to Wang Fuk’s court last month, wearing hard hats and name tags. They packed their life on the property into about 30 odd bags, most of which are housed in a storage unit in a nearby industrial estate.
The family first went to Carbon Yip’s house and a few days later to his father’s apartment in Wang Tai House.
They moved back into the flats a few weeks after the father, Yip Ka-kui, also known as Sdanni Yip, gave a move. testimony before an independent commission investigating the cause of the fire and its rapid spread.
At the hearing, Sdanni Yip, who repeatedly reported potential fire hazards on the property to the authorities, accused the government of “evading responsibility”. He also paid a heartfelt tribute to his late wife, Pak Shui-lin, who spent her final moments knocking on doors to alert other residents of the fire.
The Yip family’s assigned social worker showed them photos of the apartment before they returned so they would have a better idea of ββwhat to look for. Even then, however, Carbon Yip could not prepare for the weight of returning home.
βI had to pull myself together before I started packing because the emotions were overwhelming,β he said, recalling the trip to Wang Cheong’s home. “I don’t think anyone can accept seeing their house displayed like that.”
Carbon Yip, 36, lost much of his collection of Gundam and Digimon figurines in the fire. He discovered that the models had been melted and fused into a single piece of unknown plastic. He had to throw out a large portion of his Pokemon card collection, including limited edition anniversary boxes that were warped and melted in the fire.
However, he managed to salvage a crystal memorial block made to remember their pet dog, who died early last year after about 16 years with the family. The memory was hidden in a box, which protected it from the worst of the fire.
Returning home reminded him of his late mother. Pak cared for their late dog, whom she called “granddaughter,” while he and his wife worked.
“‘Your daughter isn’t eating anymore!’ β she used to tell me whenever (the dog) was a picky eater,β Carbon Yip said.
Carbon Yip, his wife and his father have been transferred to big brother. Seven family members are crammed into a three-bedroom apartment, just a 15-minute walk from Wang Fuk Court.
“Being able to bring these things back, our house can now feel a little more complete,” said Carbon Yip.
