Hong Kong residents react to deadly fire at housing complex

“When you get close you can feel the heat rising and the smoke is really heavy.”

Student Thomas Liu was one of many people drawn to the scene of the deadly fire that engulfed most of the eight-block Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district.

Wednesday’s devastating fires have so far killed at least 44 people, and that number is expected to rise with hundreds more still missing. The cause is not yet known.

“It’s a disaster,” Thomas told the BBC about the fire. I have seen bodies being removed.

“Many people have sent us WhatsApp messages or called to say they still have relatives at home or cannot find them,” Tai Po district councilor Mui Siu-fung told BBC Chinese.

More than a thousand other people were forced to evacuate the property as the flames spread, with some heading to centers set up to house them. Police also moved people out of nearby buildings.

Officials said the fire is gradually being extinguished, but it is unclear when it will be completely extinguished. Flames were also seen rising from individual apartments as many people watched in silence.

One woman said her friends were living in the building and she was waiting to see if they could leave.

Harry Cheung, who has lived in block 2 of the Wang Fuk Court complex for more than 40 years, told Reuters he heard a “very loud noise” and saw a fire burning in a nearby block.

“I immediately went back to get my things,” the 66-year-old resident said.

“I don’t even know how I feel right now. I feel like I can’t go home and I’m wondering where I’m going to sleep tonight.”

Mr Kam’s 60-year-old woman, who lives in nearby Kwong Fuk Estate, told the South China Morning Post (SCMP) that several of her friends living in Wang Fuk Court were missing, but not all.

One friend was taking his daily afternoon nap and may have been asleep when the fire broke out at 14:51 local time (06:51 GMT), Mr Kam said. The woman’s daughters added that they have not yet been able to contact her.

Another resident, Jason Kong, 65, said a neighbor had called him to say he was still trapped in one of the tower blocks.

“It’s delusional. I have so many neighbors and friends. I don’t know what’s going on anymore. Look, all the apartments are on fire. I don’t know what to do. I hope the government will help us settle down after this.”

An elderly woman who lives in one of the affected blocks told the BBC she was not home when the fire broke out but was worried her flat was uninsured.

“I’m so upset because now I don’t have a home to go to,” she said.

The cause of the fire that swept through several high-rise buildings is not yet known, but it is believed that the fire spread quickly through the bamboo scaffolding that covered the buildings undergoing reconstruction.

Some expressed anger and criticized the response, saying such a large-scale fire could have occurred.

“When there is a forest fire, helicopters are dispatched and water bombs are dropped, but why is there no such deployment and how can they burn down other buildings?” asked Mr. Poon, in his 60s and another resident of Wang Fuk Court.

“We thought the fire would be under control soon as the community is so close to the fire station, but now it has spread,” she told SCMP.

Mr Poon pointed out that he had not received any direction from the government on where to seek help.

The BBC spoke to some Tai Po residents who brought supplies to victims and affected residents, including dozens of blankets and heat packs.

Hong Kong Chief Executive John Lee said government ministries were supporting residents affected by the fire.

When asked about their feelings about the fire, residents said, “The government is incompetent,” and “It’s so heartbreaking.”

“We don’t want to see any more casualties,” one official said.