Hong Kong’s deadliest fire in decades has been put out, but the sight of the charred remains of Wang Fuk Court’s housing blocks still conjures up painful emotions and all too vivid memories for many people in the surrounding neighbourhood.
The fire started on Wednesday last week, raging for 43 hours and engulfing seven of the estate’s eight towers before it was extinguished. At least 159 people died in the inferno.
On Friday, residents from the nearby Kwong Fuk Estate public housing complex were seen gathering along a platform at the housing complex.
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Some were occasionally spotted standing at the far end, between Kwong Yan House and Kwong Yau House, looking at what was left of Wang Fuk Court.
The number of police vehicles parked outside Kwong Fuk Market halved from the day before, while a section of Plover Cove Road that led into the estate was unblocked in the afternoon.
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For many in the area surrounding Wang Fuk Court, life began returning to something like its usual pace. But some could not help but feel that nothing would ever be the same again.