More residents have returned to their fire-ravaged homes on the second day of pickup sessions at Hong Kong’s Wang Fuk Court to search for memorabilia.
Severe damage to flats in the Tai Po housing estate distressed some residents while a woman expressed relief after finding items belonging to her father who had suffered a mental illness from the trauma of last November’s deadly blaze.
Those who lived on the middle floors of the estate’s Wang Sun House began returning home on Tuesday, with opinions divided over whether the three hours they were given was enough time to pack and bid farewell to their homes.
About 6,000 residents have registered with the government to make trips to their former homes to pick up belongings, with members of 77 households from the 11th to 20th floors of Wang Sun House going up on Tuesday.
Throughout the day, 11 requests were made for police assistance over the suspected loss of property, including cameras, jewellery and gold items. Residents also reported two cases of physical discomfort while two others sought psychological counselling services.
A 17th-floor resident surnamed Tam, 55, said he walked up the stairs with the help of an exoskeleton assistive device he bought from a mainland Chinese company.
After visiting his flat with his wife, Tam teared up as he recalled entering their home, saying the scale of destruction struck him despite having seen a photo of the damage.
“I work in interior renovation, and I didn’t expect the situation to be so bad. Cabinets were burnt down to just two or three inches,” he said.
“Many metal objects looked like crisps when you held them up. It’s hard to make glass melt, but there was a melted piece in the flat.”
His son’s room was reduced to ashes. All that remained was a drum set burnt beyond recognition, an old phone and a single Gundam figure, he said.
A middle-floor resident surnamed Lou, 60, who worked as a wedding photographer for 30 years, said he lost a metal handicraft workbench and two cupboards containing about 50 cameras.
Displaying the charred remains, he said: “The flat was totally damaged, nothing left, only remnants of these Leica cameras worth around HK$600,000.”
He stayed for an hour before bowing in gratitude to his home of 30 years.
Ronnie Kwok said she was relieved to find her father’s teapot and teacups amid the ashes.
Kwok said the fire had triggered an acute mental illness in her father, leaving him hospitalised. She described him as “living in his own world 20 to 30 years ago”.
“I hope the teapot can help him face what happened in his home and his life ahead,” Kwok said.
Another resident surnamed Cheung, in his thirties, said three hours were simply not enough time to gather belongings. “I am not sure if this will be my last time back home,” he said before heading to the flat, tears welling up in his eyes.
Cheung added that he hoped to retrieve photographs left behind in the flat. He said he would go up alone and make a video call to show his grandmother the flat.
Wong, who lived on the 17th floor, prepared himself with a shovel and bucket in hopes of excavating valuables, and found only antique coins kept by the elderly family members.
“I was mentally prepared when I saw photos of my home, but seeing it with my own eyes makes it hard to let go,” he said.
Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu reminded residents on Tuesday morning to “consider their own condition” as they made their way up the stairs to their homes.
“And if they are really determined to do it, they have to do it in their own way. We are very willing to help, and we have arranged medical assistance at any time,” he said.
Lee added that the operation on Monday went smoothly and the government would continue to monitor the situation and make necessary improvements to help returning residents.
He said the authorities would set up a larger area for residents to put on their gear, and also provide shelters in case of rain.
Last November, the inferno engulfed seven of the estate’s eight blocks, killing 168 people and leaving nearly 5,000 displaced.
Under the return scheme, residents are generally allowed three hours in their flats, excluding time spent climbing on the stairs. Up to four people per household can visit their homes.
On Monday, 264 people made the trip back to their flats in Wang Sun House.
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk Wing-hing said that people stayed in their flats for about one hour and 44 minutes on average on Monday, and some were able to make multiple trips.
Residents were given helmets and protective gloves before entering the building, which has no electricity.
Arrangements for residents at Wang Sun House are expected to be finished on Wednesday.
Authorities will then allow residents of another three blocks to return between April 23 and 28, before those from the last three towers can return between April 29 and May 4.
-- Report: SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
