Hong Kong — He knows what he will see and he is already in pain, but he has to go back.
For the first time since Hong Kong Deadliest fire in decades Keung Mak, who had his apartment taken over in November, will move in again on Monday. But they had little hope. A photo of his social worker was already shown Destruction.
The roof of the apartment where he and his wife lived for more than 40 years and raised their children was burnt So badly that steel bars became visible. The floor was littered with broken tiles, and parts of the apartment required reinforcement to prevent collapse.
“My heart is heavy, I’m very disappointed. I didn’t expect the first floor to burn like this,” Mak, 78, said before returning to his former home.
A fire that broke out in the suburban district of Tai Po last year quickly spread to seven of eight buildings at an apartment complex, killing 168 people. Thousands of people displaced since Monday fire victims They are returning to see what remains of their homes and taking back their belongings. This process is expected to continue until early May.
People are still waiting for the results of the investigation into the cause of the fire. In the meantime, they are spread out across the city, surviving as best they can, many in temporary housing as they wait to find out where they can resettle.
The exteriors of some buildings were blackened by the flames, a reminder of the tragedy.
The return will be especially difficult for the complex’s many longtime residents, more than a third of the approximately 4,600 people who lived there before the fire.
With lift services closed, some elderly residents are training to improve their fitness in preparation for climbing stairs on 31-storey buildings.
Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said more than 1,400 of the people registered to return are aged 65 or older, public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong reported.
Mak’s apartment contained several items that the family treasures and is eager to retrieve: a fishing rod Mak’s son bought him as a gift; Wedding photos from half a century ago; Letters from his son from previous years. He believes almost everything of it has been destroyed.
“A lot of things with souvenir value are gone. Not a single piece of paper will be left,” said Kit Chan, Mak’s 74-year-old wife.
Residents will typically be allowed to stay in their apartments for up to three hours, with a maximum of four people entering. In some seriously damaged units, only one person can go inside.
With only two people allowed inside due to the condition of their apartment, Mak and his son would move back. Chan hopes the authorities will let him see it too.
Cyrus Ng, 39, lived on the 10th floor of the Wang Fook Court complex with his parents for more than a decade before moving out.
Immediately after the fire, he could not sleep, felt angry, sad and worried about his elderly parents. About five months later, she is more emotionally satisfied but has not 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 ongoing inquiry The cause of the fire stated that almost all fire protection equipment in the apartment block had failed on the day of the fire due to human error.
Ng has mixed feelings about returning next week to his apartment, which escaped the worst damage. He fears the emotional impact on his parents, but is looking forward to the opportunity to reclaim their ownership deeds, old photographs, clothes and other valuable items.
He also said that after months of vacancy, he is worried about theft. Police arrested three men on suspicion of theft from the property in March.
The government had previously said that it would be difficult to repair damaged buildings cost-effectively. Officials were willing to demolish the seven buildings destroyed by the fire and did so. offered to buy back Homeowner rights from fire victims.
He cited the results of a survey of residents as dashing the hopes of those who want to rebuild their homes on the site.
Some residents questioned that stance. Fire investigation data showed that only half of the approximately 1,700 apartments in seven buildings suffered varying degrees of damage.
Ng wondered whether some buildings could be repaired to allow some residents to live back, although his parents were already considering the government’s offer of an apartment elsewhere. He plans to take photographs of his apartment during his return to document its condition and help prove that some houses are unaffected.
Other residents, who lived in the only building of the complex that survived the fire, are facing the trauma of living with nightmare memories.
Stephanie Leung, a resident of that block, is reluctant to live in the same apartment again. He said his family faced immense mental stress every time they looked at the seven other buildings where their former classmates or friends had died.
He hopes the government will include his block in the same scheme as other buildings, while those who want to stay will be allowed to stay.
“Every time I go back, I want to cry,” she said.
