Residents of the fire-hit Wang Fuk Court flats in Tai Po have started returning home to collect personal belongings for the first time since the deadly tragedy in November.
About 270 people returned to their quarters at Wang Sun Houseone of seven blocks engulfed in flames on Monday. Residents of each apartment were given three hours under strict government supervision.
They were the first group of about 6,000 residents the government said had registered to return to their homes.
Residents were given protective helmets and gloves before entering the Wang Sun House. Without electricity, they had to climb the stairs.
Some of the residents already knew that their houses had been badly burned and were left in ruins after receiving photos of the homes from the government.
“I’ve seen pictures of my apartment burning to ashes, so I have no hope,” a resident who gave only his surname, Leung, told HKFP in Cantonese. “I only wanted to collect things of commemorative value, like wedding rings.”
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This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November. Photo: Supplied. -
This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November 2025. Photo: Supplied. -
This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November 2025. Photo: Supplied. -
This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November 2025. Photo: Supplied. -
This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November 2025. Photo: Supplied. -
This photo provided by Wang Fuk Court resident surnamed Leung on April 20, 2026, shows the interior of his apartment in Wang Sun House after the deadly fire in November 2025. Photo: Supplied. -
Court resident Wang Fuk surnamed Leung shows reporters the wedding rings he salvaged from his fire-ravaged apartment at Wang Sun House on April 20, 2026. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.
Leung was lucky to get the rings. He provided HKFP with photos of his apartment, showing the floor covered in debris and some items burned beyond recognition. The metal gate of his apartment was also dismantled.
Others were less fortunate. Another resident, who declined to give his name due to privacy concerns, said his home had been destroyed.
“There is nothing to return to. We took a look, respected and left,” he told reporters after visiting his apartment.
A female resident surnamed Tai told reporters: “There is nothing left of my house, I just want to go up there and say goodbye.
“I’m not in the mood to talk. I can only smile bitterly,” she added.
‘someone who follows’
Some, like 50-year-old Steven Chong, were able to retrieve valuables as their homes were saved from the flames. Chong found the computer that stored his family photos and a religious painting he bought in Tibet, which he had brought with him when he moved twice.
“Maybe (the painting) saved my house from fire,” he told reporters.
He used the time at the apartment to remember his cat, who died in the fire. “I went to the place where he liked to sleep and called him twice, telling him to reincarnate,” he said.
Chong said three hours was “enough” for him to collect items, but said it may not be the case for residents whose homes were damaged by the fire.
The government said all residents would be escorted by police or Civil Aid Service personnel, citing the need to protect property in the building.
“Every step of the way, someone is following,” said a woman surnamed Chow in Cantonese, calling the government’s deal “OK.”
Chow, a relative of a resident of Wang Sun House, said they were lucky to find an album containing old family photos, but they may apply for a second trip as they cannot move their safe this time.
discontent
But some residents expressed dissatisfaction with the government’s arrangement. A man surnamed Lee is scheduled to return to his residence in Wang Yan House on Thursday.
He went to Wang Fuk Court on Monday, hoping to familiarize himself with the process, but officers barred him from entering a nearby community hall, where residents were searched before entering the building.
“I’m going back to my house. But I had to beg for it. How can that be fair?” he told reporters in Cantonese.
“It’s my place. Don’t I have the right to stay there and pack my things?” he said, criticizing the three-hour limit.
“I’ve lived there for over three decades… There’s no way I’m not going back, I can’t let it go,” he added.
