Hong Kong fire victims yearn to go home as Lunar New Year brings back painful memories

Hong Kong — The worst fire in Hong Kong Over the past decade thousands of residents have been deprived of some of their friends, family or the place they called home. More than two months later, residents of the Wang Phuc Court apartment complex are not only waiting for answers about what happened but also longing for a new place.

The authorities have not yet unveiled a plan for long-term rehabilitation after surveying the preferences of the residents. Meanwhile, the Lunar New Year on February 17 is reviving recent memories of celebrating the festival at what is now a largely burnt-out complex.

On November 26, 2025, a massive fire that swept through seven apartment buildings killed 168 people, tearing apart a close-knit community. authority Blamed substandard scaffolding netting and foam board From a building maintenance project to the rapid spread of the fire. Although some arrests were made, an independent committee is still investigating the cause.

The Associated Press spoke to four families who lived at the compound or who lost loved ones there. Here’s what he said:

When? Flames consumed the towers of the Wang Fuk Court Complex. Pearl Chau, 87, ran away from her apartment Along with the necessary documents like the title deed. His grandson, Dorz Cheung, 33, ran from his office to find him safe nearby, but the fire was raging.

That night, Chow went to a friend’s house and did not sleep, while Cheung watched the flames for hours and cried while holding his friend. They both remember old photographs they lost in their home in Tai Po, a suburban district north of the city.

They are now divided into two temporary housing units on different floors, each about 100 square feet (9.2 square metres). Chou was satisfied, but Cheung could not call it home.

He said, “Only permanent residence is called home. This is the essence.”

Despite the hour-long commute, Chow still regularly returns to Tai Po for church and grocery shopping. They want to resettle in Tai Po, where they lived for decades in a unit the size of their old apartment.

“I’m an elderly person. When they finish construction, I’ll probably go to my heavenly home,” she said, laughing.

2021 population census data showed that more than a third of the approximately 4,600 residents in the complex were 65 or older.

while the government proposed solutions to compete bid rigging In building maintenance and improvement, fire safety In January, Cheung feels that his rehabilitation has not been taken into account. He said that after the fire, he had lost his sense of security towards the authorities.

“We can only wait, tossed around like a ball,” he said.

Kit Chan, 74, lived in her 460-square-foot (43-square-metre) apartment for more than 40 years and raised her children with her husband in the complex, where neighbours help care for each other’s children.

Chan had planned to spend the rest of his life there, but because of the fire, the couple had to move into a studio unit in a youth hostel half the size of their apartment. A few weeks ago, she had heard that some fire victims had been asked to move out, and that distressed her.

“It’s like not being able to work in my final years,” she said.

They have not been asked to leave, but it is uncertain how long they can stay.

Chan initially wanted to settle in a new house built at the site of the fire, but the government estimated that reconstruction would take about a decade – too long for her to wait. She can settle on a similar-sized apartment in another district with good transportation.

Her husband, Keung Mak, 78, hopes they can return to their old home just to visit. It contains memories like his family and wedding photos. “A lot of people are hoping that they can at least see how badly it was burnt,” Mak said.

During past Lunar New Year celebrations, Isaac Tam’s family would visit their neighbours with gifts. Now, those familiar faces he’s known for years are scattered across town.

The loss of two of their apartments in the fire was heartbreaking. His parents started crying, and his 92-year-old grandfather became thin. But 23-year-old Tam said at least all his family members are alive.

Last weekend, they were preparing to move into temporary homes, which were smaller than their old apartments and farther from the city centre. He spent money to renovate them.

Although he said the government’s operations are not as bad as some people say, he still worries about adjusting to a new district with his grandfather’s temporary residence. At Tai Po, Grandpa used to spend his morning dim sum routine with his friends.

As he awaits the government’s resettlement plans, he is considering apartments in another district that will be ready quicker than units in Tai Po, which he prefers because he grew up there.

Tam said, considering the grandfather’s age, time is his priority.

“I’m also afraid he can’t wait until we secure an apartment of about 400 square feet (about 37 square meters),” he said, regardless of the district.

When the fire broke out, Phyllis Low’s mother called after seeing thick smoke outside her door. On the call, knowing she might not survive, her 74-year-old mother told 48-year-old Lou and her brother to stay well. Lo immediately rushed to her childhood home and called again a few minutes later. No one answered. The next morning, the police tell him that they have found his mother’s body.

After learning that the building’s maintenance project had a mix of issues, including that substandard materials had been used and that the fire alarms had failed, Lo wondered whether the tragedy could have been avoided if every government department had done a better job. Although she could not decide who should take responsibility, she blamed herself for her mother not monitoring the project more closely.

What bothers her most is the lack of transparency – how will officials use the $589 million relief fund when she can see her burnt-down apartment? They hope to get an update from the nine-month investigation.

She wants her childhood home at the fire site to be rebuilt but considers the proposed time frame of nearly a decade to be unreasonably long.

As the Lunar New Year approached, Lo made turnip cakes – a tradition she inherited from her mother. “Maybe he’s still everywhere and still watching us. I really want to be with him,” she said, crying.

In an emailed response to questions from The Associated Press, the government said it attaches great importance to residents’ long-term housing arrangements and has already received survey responses from more than 95% of homeowners. It did not give any timeline but said its task force was analyzing their priorities and the government would announce the plans after finalizing them.

Jack Rozdilsky, professor of disaster and emergency management at York University in Canada, said the city is moving toward the disaster recovery phase and added that solid plans to support continued mental health and coping with trauma play a key role in the long-term success of any rehabilitation measure.

Rozdilsky saw the community survey on resettlement as a good sign because a one-size-fits-all proposal would not satisfy families.

Rebuilding habitat is complex, he said, but rebuilding a community is much harder. He said understanding how to foster community in a residential complex before a fire occurs and incorporating those features — whether it’s a bus stop or a gathering place in a park — will help.

“It’s the little things that matter,” he said.