'See you in my dreams,' girlfriend mourns firefighter posthumously promoted on his birthday

Firefighter Ho Wai-ho, who died battling a No.5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court, was posthumously promoted to the rank of Senior Fireman on what would have been his 38th birthday.

The Hong Kong Fire Services Department held the promotion ceremony on Wednesday at Sha Tin Fire Station, where Ho was stationed. Officers from the North New Territories attended.

On social media, a post believed to be from Ho's girlfriend showed an image from the ceremony, stating: "This birthday gift, I know you must love it... Happy Birthday, see you in my dreams."

Another post, likely from fellow firefighters, mentioned that colleagues, secondary school classmates and relatives had specially ordered a birthday cake to commemorate the occasion. The cake was inscribed with his nickname and messages including "Happy promotion."

Many netizens also left tributes on Ho's last Instagram post from around the same time last year, which showed him celebrating his birthday with his girlfriend.

The Fire Services Department praised Ho's professionalism in numerous firefighting and rescue missions and his courageous, selfless dedication during the Wang Fuk Court fire, which embodied the force's mission. A funeral with full honours will be held for Ho at the World Funeral Home in Hung Hom on December 19, followed by burial at Wo Hop Shek's Garden of Remembrance.