After a horrific fire tore through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex on Wednesday and Thursday, November 26–27, leaving nearly 300 inhabitants unaccounted for and taking over 50 lives, grief and rage rushed across Tai Po, an area in northern Hong Kong.
Police accused a construction company of "grossly negligent" behavior while firefighters battled for more than a day to contain the fire that engulfed seven of the complex's 32-story towers. The fire appeared to have started from a bamboo scaffolding being used during renovation work.
Apart from the investigation's facts and the government's response, the tragedy also played out in the voices of the locals who either barely made it out or were now frantically looking for loved ones amid the smoke and debris.The speed and severity of the fire turned escape routes into death traps for many residents of the densely populated complex, which houses over 4,600 people and is part of subsidized housing for Hong Kong's middle class.
"She had to return to the apartment."
Lawrence Lee waited for his wife's news all night. He told the terrifying story of her escape attempt.
While waiting in a shelter, he recalled, "I told her on the phone to escape when the fire started." "But once she left the apartment, the stairs and hallway were completely dark and covered in smoke, so she was forced to return to the apartment," he explained.Another distressed mother, 52 years old and only known by her last name Ng, was looking for her daughter outside a shelter while holding the daughter's graduation picture. "She and her father are still not out yet," Ng remarked angrily. "They didn't have water to save our building."
Eight shelters were used to host 900 residents after the evacuation, according to authorities.
"What's left?"
For long-term inhabitants, the magnitude of the loss—both property and human life—has been especially painful.

Harry Cheung, 66, who has lived in Block Two for more than 40 years, reported that on Wednesday around 2:45 p.m., he heard a loud explosion and witnessed an adjacent block catch fire. He hurried back to his apartment to get necessities. “I don't even know how I feel right now."We bought in this building more than 20 years ago," said Wan, 51, lamenting the loss of his family's past. This structure contained all of our possessions, so what's left when it burned down like this?
Others talked about how terrifying the evacuation was. As he evacuated on Wednesday afternoon, Winter Chung, 75, who lived in one of the towers, remembered seeing sparks flying around the complex. Even when they were secure, the fear was overwhelming. Winter Chung told the news agency AP on Thursday, "I couldn't sleep the entire night."
"He is dead in room 1 on the 27th floor."
Chu, a 70-year-old longtime resident, spent Wednesday night at a friend's home. When he got back, her house was still on fire."We don't know what to do," she said, adding that she hasn't been able to get in touch with friends who reside next block. An online application that is connected to a Google document that lists each tower's occupants is being used in the frantic search for the missing.
With entries like "Mother-in-law in her 70s, missing" and "one boy and one girl," the disaster is starkly shown.
One said, ominously, "27th floor, room 1: He is dead."
The deadliest fire since 1948
The Wang Fuk Court fire is now the deadliest fire in Hong Kong since a warehouse fire in 1948 claimed 176 lives.The more than 1,200 firefighters and 304 fire engines fighting the fire had difficulties due to the high heat and dense smoke.
As of Thursday morning, officials verified that 62 people had been brought to hospitals, 17 of whom were in severe condition. Two migrant workers from Indonesia were also killed, along with a firefighter.
John Lee, the chief executive of Hong Kong, recognized the need for assistance and a comprehensive inquiry. To reduce casualties and losses, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for a "all-out effort."
The Grenfell Tower fire in London, which claimed 72 lives in 2017, was also compared to the catastrophe. The placement of flammable cladding was also held responsible for the fire.