Saturday marked the final day for residents of two blocks in Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court to return to their homes to retrieve personal belongings following a major fire, but the lack of elevator service has left many elderly residents unable to access their apartments.
Residents of Wang Tai House and Wang Kin House were seen carrying large red-white-and-blue plastic bags and backpacks as they made their way back into the fire-affected buildings.
Today was the last opportunity for them to salvage what they could from their homes.
One resident of Wang Tai House, surnamed Chan, arrived with a large backpack, explaining that she had to hurry to collect items of sentimental and monetary value.
However, she expressed deep frustration that her 85-year-old mother could not join her. The elevators in the building remain out of service, forcing residents to climb the stairs. Chan lamented that asking her mother to walk up 14 floors was an impossible task.
She explained that her mother, like many others, desperately wanted to see her home and retrieve her own possessions.
If the lifts were operational, she said, they could have made several trips without issue. But with only the stairs accessible, they are left with no choice but to feel helpless and resigned to the situation.
𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓
