Hongkongers gathered on Friday to pay their last respects to the firefighter who died battling the Tai Po blaze, as his hearse passed the site of the inferno and fire station he served in en route to the burial grounds in Gallant Garden, in a funeral procession with full honours.
The Fire Services Department held an official funeral for the late Ho Wai-ho at Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom at 10am, attended by the chief executive and other top government officials, as well as the city’s political elite including former leaders.
The mood was sombre as family members, friends, colleagues and key officials bid farewell to the fallen firefighter.
Ho, 37, had served in the Fire Services Department for nine years and was stationed at Sha Tin Fire Station when he was dispatched to fight the blaze in Wang Fuk Court. Hong Kong suffered its worst fire in decades on November 26, which claimed at least 160 lives and displaced nearly 5,000 residents.
As the official ceremony was held behind closed doors, residents young and old gathered opposite the funeral home at a memorial site for the firefighter.
“Although we have never met before, Hong Kong is very honoured to have these firefighters who have always protected this city,” Andy Fong, an 18-year-old freelance photographer, said. “I think, as a resident, doing this little act [of paying tribute] is something I should do.”
Others mourning Ho included a 30-year-old clerk, surnamed Lau, who shed tears as she laid a bouquet at the memorial.
“What he did went far beyond his job; he sacrificed his life to save people. It is beyond what an ordinary person should do, and it is very touching,” she said. “I only hope that his family can get through this pain soon and that Ho rests in peace.”
Draped with a Hong Kong flag, Ho’s coffin was escorted by fellow firefighters and placed on a hearse, a refitted fire truck covered with a black-and-white cloth. One of the firefighters, seen carrying Ho’s helmet, sat on the front seat of the truck.
A contingent comprising government officials and firefighters assembled outside the funeral parlour to pay their last respects to Ho.
At 10.30am, the hearse left the parlour and travelled past Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po and Sha Tin Fire Station en route to Gallant Garden in Wo Hop Shek Cemetery, where civil servants who have died in the line of duty for Hong Kong are buried.
The hearse arrived near the fire scene in Tai Po at 11.10am and stopped for five minutes to receive salutes from firefighters and bows from government officials, including Eunice Chan Hau-man, Tai Po’s district officer with the Home Affairs Department.
Scores of residents also gathered outside Wang Fuk Court in silence as they awaited the arrival of the hearse.
Some residents were tearful while others stood in silence, their eyes lifted towards the estate.
Lei Yuk-lin, a 62-year-old office assistant who took leave to attend the memorial, arrived at the site at 7.30am. She stood along the route, chanting Buddhist mantras for the late firefighter.
“He was so brave. While we were running away from danger, he was running straight into it,” she said. “The fire has been put out now. May he rest in peace. I also hope his girlfriend can stay strong.”
Joe Yu, a retiree in his 70s living near Wang Fuk Court, said he came out of “deep respect” for the firefighter’s sacrifice.
“His spirit is worthy of admiration by future generations. He was so young, and it breaks my heart.”
Outside Sha Tin Fire Station, where Ho was based, more than 100 firefighters stood in a row to honour their fallen colleague, led by Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin.
About 20 firefighters marched slowly beside the hearse as it arrived at the fire station to the strains of a dirge.
With a wreath laid in front of the hearse, officials took turns to bow three times or salute in respect. A crowd gathered outside the station, waving in tribute. A fire bell was rung four times – three short rings and one long – symbolically relieving Ho of his duties.
After the rites at the fire station, the hearse moved on to its last stop, Gallant Garden in Wo Hop Shek Cemetery, where Ho was buried.
Ho’s colleague who had carried his helmet throughout the procession led the way into the cemetery, accompanied by others in matching yellow helmets. Dozens stood in formation near a walkway lined with wreaths.
The coffin followed, carried by six firefighters and two other pallbearers, with Ho’s brother holding his portrait and Ho’s girlfriend walking behind.
At the burial site, the flag draped over the coffin was folded, and Ho’s helmet was placed on the lid.
Ho’s family members and girlfriend wept as the assembled crowd stood for a two-minute silence, before the coffin was lowered into the ground.
His dog, a 10-year-old shiba inu believed to have been raised by the couple, was also brought to the cemetery for a final farewell.
On November 26, Ho was among the first batch of firefighters to arrive at Wang Fuk Court at 3.01pm to combat the fire but lost contact with his colleagues at 3.30pm.
He sustained injuries and was found with burns to his face on the ground floor of Wang Cheong House, the first building to catch fire. He was rushed to Sha Tin’s Prince of Wales Hospital but was pronounced dead about 45 minutes later. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
