During this round of access, five floors of Wang Tai House and 10 floors of Wang Kin House will be opened for residents to return to their units and collect what they can.
One resident, a man surnamed Liu who lives on a lower floor of Wang Tai House, described the experience as feeling like “opening a blind box”.
“A blind box means you don’t know how badly it is burnt inside the unit. They only showed me a photo of the doorway. I wish they would have taken more photos so we could prepare mentally for the return,” he said.
“If they could take more photos, they should have taken one of the bedroom, the living room and the kitchen so that we could have an idea of what we can retrieve.”
Liu, who has lived in Wang Tai House for more than 40 years – since it first opened in 1983 – said there are many belongings he hopes to recover.
Another resident, a man surnamed Lam who lives on a lower floor of Wang Kin House, said that while he misses his home, he feels he has no choice but to adapt.
“I do miss this place, but there’s no choice. It’s burnt to this extent. I’m forced to move elsewhere. I see it as a change of environment after having lived here for over 40 years,” he said.
Meanwhile, another resident – who has not seen the condition of her unit since the fire – said she had brought bags with her, hoping to collect as many of her belongings as possible.
Residents of these two blocks have until May 1 to collect their belongings.
