Wang Fuk Court residents make long climb to retrieve family treasures, bid farewell

After a devastating fire, a Hong Kong family climbs 19 floors to salvage heirlooms, only to find ashes and memories. | Contesto: cronaca

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• Wang Fuk Court residents make long climb to retrieve family treasures, bid farewell

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HONG KONG — Hon Wing, 77, a retired part-time taxi driver, climbed 19 flights of stairs to his fire-ravaged flat in the Wang Fuk Court housing estate on Tuesday, hoping to retrieve a bag of change he had saved during his work shifts. Instead, after a two-hour search through the charred remains of his home in Wang Sun House, he and his family left almost empty-handed. “Nothing much was there,” Hon said, describing the scene of destruction that has left him and his neighbors grappling with the aftermath of a blaze that tore through the public housing block. The fire, which broke out in the early hours of Monday, forced the evacuation of hundreds of residents from Wang Sun House, a 30-story building in the Tai Po district. Firefighters battled the flames for hours before bringing them under control, but the damage was extensive, particularly on the upper floors where Hon’s family lived. For Hon, the loss of the bag of change—a modest collection of coins accumulated over years of driving—was a small but personal blow. More poignant was the quest of his daughter, Ice Hon, who had hoped to salvage items passed down from her late mother. “Dust and ruins are everywhere. It feels like the whole flat is gone,” she said, her voice heavy with grief. The Hon family’s story is emblematic of the broader tragedy unfolding at Wang Fuk Court, where many residents have been left homeless and are now staying in temporary shelters provided by the Hong Kong Housing Authority. The fire has raised urgent questions about fire safety in the city’s aging public housing stock, much of which was built decades ago and may lack modern sprinkler systems or fire-resistant materials. Wang Sun House, completed in the 1980s, is one of several blocks in the estate that have been earmarked for redevelopment, but the fire has accelerated calls for immediate safety upgrades. For the Hon family, the climb up the smoke-stained stairwell was a physical and emotional ordeal. The air was thick with the acrid smell of burnt plastic and wood, and the walls were blackened with soot. Inside the flat, furniture was reduced to twisted metal and ash, and personal belongings—photographs, documents, keepsakes—were...

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Categoria: cronaca