Tai Po fire residents return home to collect belongings

Residents of the only block left largely unscathed in Hong Kong’s Tai Po fire have brought large suitcases, trolleys and cardboard boxes as they return home for a second time to collect their belongings. Homeowners on Wednesday also said they felt they had played a passive role and still had many questions about the government’s voluntary buy-back scheme for their flats after the November 26 fire engulfed seven of the eight blocks in Wang Fuk Court, killing 168 people and displacing nearly 5,000. Lifts in the block were put back into service for the first time after the fire, allowing residents to transport heavier items. A Wang Chi House resident surnamed Lam, who arrived with a large suitcase, said he felt “heavy” returning to his parents’ flat due to the loss of life and having lived in the estate for more than 30 years. He returned with his siblings to retrieve items such as photo albums after his family collected essentials during a 90-minute visit last December. Lam planned to video call his parents from the flat to show them its condition and what they should keep or leave behind.