Fire Survivors Return to Devastated Hong Kong Apartment Complex

For the first time since Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades engulfed his apartment building in November, 78-year-old Keung Mak will step into his former home again Monday. But he expects little remains of the place where he and his wife lived for over 40 years and raised their children.

“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, having already seen photos showing the ceiling burned so badly that steel rebar was visible, with broken tiles littering the floor.

The devastating fire spread rapidly across seven of the eight buildings in the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex in the suburban Tai Po district, killing 168 people. Starting Monday, thousands of residents displaced by the tragedy are returning to see what’s left of their homes and retrieve belongings. The process is expected to continue into early May.

As the investigation into the cause continues, survivors have been scattered across Hong Kong, many in temporary housing while they wait to learn where they’ll ultimately resettle.

The exteriors of some buildings remain blackened from the flames, a stark reminder of the tragedy. The return will be particularly challenging for many of the complex’s older residents, who made up over a third of the approximately 4,600 people who lived there before the blaze.

Elderly Residents Face Difficult Ascent

With elevators out of service, some senior residents have been training to improve their fitness in preparation for climbing the stairs up the 31-story buildings. Hong Kong Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk reported that over 1,400 people registered for the return are 65 or older.

On the first day of returns, about 270 people went back to the complex. Many remained silent as they departed afterward.

Resident Steven Chung found that the staircases were blackened when he climbed several flights. Though he managed to recover some valuable belongings from his less-damaged home, many items, including his gaming device, were contaminated by water mixed with concrete particles.

“I worry about another problem because housing prices are increasing rapidly these days,” he noted, highlighting the additional financial concerns many survivors face.

Limited Access to Damaged Units

There were many cherished items that Mak and his 74-year-old wife Kit Chan longed to retrieve: a fishing rod their son had given as a gift, wedding photos from half a century ago, and letters from their son from years past. They believe almost all of it is destroyed.

“A lot of things with commemorative value are all gone,” Chan said. “Not even a single piece of paper will be left.”

Residents are typically allowed to stay in their apartments for up to three hours, with a maximum of four people entering. In more severely damaged units like Mak’s, only one person can enter. With only two people allowed due to their apartment’s condition, Mak and his son will go back together, while Chan hopes authorities might make an exception to let her take a look too.

Complex Emotions for Former Residents

Cyrus Ng, 39, lived on the 10th floor of the Wang Fuk Court complex with his parents for over a decade before moving out. In the immediate aftermath of the fire, he couldn’t sleep, feeling angry, sad and worried about his parents.

Nearly five months later, he’s more emotionally settled but hasn’t fully accepted what happened. “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 the ongoing inquiry has said almost all fire safety devices in the apartment buildings failed on the day of the blaze because of human error.

Ng has mixed feelings about returning to their apartment, which was spared the worst damage. While he fears the emotional impact on his parents, he looks forward to retrieving their title deed, old photos, clothes and other valuables. He’s also concerned about theft after months of vacancy, with police having arrested three men in March on suspicion of stealing from the site.

Uncertain Future for the Complex

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 the homeownership rights from fire victims, citing results from a residents’ survey.

Some residents question this stance. Data from the fire inquiry showed that only half of the approximately 1,700 apartments in the seven buildings were damaged, and to varying degrees.

Ng wonders if some buildings could be repaired to allow certain residents to return, though his parents are already considering the government’s offer of housing elsewhere. He plans to document his apartment’s condition with photos to help prove that some homes remained largely unaffected.

Even residents from the single building that escaped the fire face the trauma of living with nightmarish memories. Stephanie Leung, who lived in that block, is reluctant to return. She explained that her family would face severe 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.