Survivor details last call with family during fatal Wang Fuk Court fire in harrowing testimony

In a profoundly moving testimony, a survivor of the catastrophic Wang Fuk Court fire today recounted the final, desperate hours he spent on the phone with his trapped family, witnessing them perish on a video call while his pleas for help on the ground went unanswered.

The man surnamed Lee lost his mother, brother, niece, and domestic helper in the blaze, telling an independent inquiry that he believes the tragedy was avoidable, citing unresolved issues with building maintenance and a disabled fire system.

A desperate plea for help

Appearing at the 13th hearing of the independent inquiry, Lee detailed the horrific events of the fire that tore through his family. Originally a household of six, only he, his father, and his sister-in-law survived.

Lee testified that he rushed back to his home at Wang Fuk Court on the afternoon of the fire after being alerted by a colleague.

Arriving around 4pm, he found the area cordoned off. He ran to a nearby park, intending to charge into the building to save his mother, but was stopped by a police blockade. His only connection to his family was his phone.

In his first call with his mother, she told him she had called 999 but was puzzled by the absence of any fire alarms or sirens. In a heartbreaking moment of reassurance, she told him, "It's okay, son. The firefighters will handle it this early. Don't worry."

Final moments on a video call

As the hours dragged on, Lee called his mother every 15 minutes. He could hear her growing anger and desperation as she told him the power and water were out and that his young niece was hungry. He repeatedly sought help from police at a community center but was only told to wait patiently.

The final, agonizing contact came around 9 p.m., when Lee and his sister-in-law had a video call with his mother and brother. He described the screen as "completely pitch black," with no lights in the apartment.

His family had retreated into a bedroom, where his brother was holding his niece, trying to keep his mother and the domestic helper from falling asleep. The call, Lee said, was filled with sounds of "anger and sorrow."

In a frantic attempt to get help, Lee and his sister-in-law ran to the police line, showing officers the live video on their phone. A commander took their details but told them to keep waiting.

Lee then rushed past a cordon to a fire command vehicle, where he showed the phone to two female staff members.

They acknowledged receiving eight distress calls from his address and relayed an urgent message to the frontline: "There are four people on the 18th floor who must be saved." However, he overheard the reply from the front line: "We really can't get past the 14th floor; the fire is too big."

Lee and his sister-in-law could only watch in horror as his brother collapsed on screen. His sister-in-law screamed his name until the call disconnected as the phone's battery died. "Our family of six is now just my father, my sister-in-law, and me," he said, his voice breaking.

Allegations of negligence

Lee also testified about long-standing issues with a major renovation project at the building, claiming residents' complaints about contract disputes, corner-cutting, and the fire system being shut down were ignored.

His mother had even tried to file complaints with government departments and the ICAC but was told to address it at an owners' meeting.

"If it weren't for this major renovation, there wouldn't have been this sky-high project cost; if government departments had seriously listened to the residents' pleas, maybe this fire could have been avoided," he said. "If there hadn't been a fire, they wouldn't be gone."

Lee concluded by stating he was not hoping for anything for himself, but simply wanted to give a voice to his deceased family members in his lifetime. "This pain, this unwillingness to accept... it doesn't just represent me. It represents my mom, my brother, our helper... the words they can never say."

The testimony visibly moved the inquiry's chairman, Justice David Lok Kai-hong, who choked up as he told Lee, "We can only tell you that we will do our best to find the truth. I hope you will continue to persevere, and I believe many Hong Kong citizens will support you."