Hong Kong fire victims long for home as Lunar New Year stirs painful memories

HONG KONG — When Hong Kong was hit by its deadliest fire in decades last November, it left thousands of residents without some of their friends, family or the place they called home.

Months later, the former occupants of the Wang Fuk Court — now a largely burnt-out apartment complex in the suburban district of Tai Po — are waiting not just for answers about what happened, but also a new place to live.

They are in temporary housing and authorities have yet to unveil plans for long-term resettlement after carrying out a survey of their preferences. Also, the government has offered rental grants to help homeowners pay for the short-term homes.

The upcoming Lunar New Year on Feb. 17, is stirring memories of celebrating the festival in happier times.

The massive blaze engulfed seven apartment buildings and killed 168 people on Nov. 26, 2025, shattering a close-knit community. Authorities blamed substandard scaffold netting and foam boards used in a maintenance project for rapidly spreading the fire. Although some arrests were made, an independent committee is still investigating the cause.

The Associated Press talked to four families who lived in the complex or lost loved ones there. Here's what they said:

No place to call home

That night, Chow went to a friend's home and didn't sleep, while Cheung watched the flames for hours, crying while clutching a friend. They both miss old photos lost in the fire.

Now they are separated into two temporary housing units on separate floors, each around 100 square feet (9.2 square meters). Chow says she's satisfied, but Cheung says it's not a home.

''Only a permanent residence can be a home,'' he said.

Chow still regularly returns to Tai Po for church and grocery shopping, despite the hourlong journey. They want to be resettled in Tai Po, where they lived for decades, in a unit about the same size as their old apartment.

''I am an elderly person. When they finish building, I may have gone to my heavenly home,'' she said with a laugh.

Cheung said he lost his sense of security with the authorities after the blaze. The government proposed measures to combat bid-rigging in building maintenance and enhance fire safety in January, but Cheung says it still hasn't addressed resettlement.

''We can only wait, being tossed around like a ball,'' he said.

A temporary refuge

Kit Chan, 74, lived with her husband in a 460-square-foot (43-square-meter) apartment for over 40 years, raising their family in a community where neighbors helped look after each other's children.

Chan planned to spend the rest of her life there, but the blaze forced the couple into a studio unit at a youth hostel half the size of their apartment. Weeks ago, they heard that other fire victims were being asked to move out of the hostel.

Chan initially wanted to be resettled in a new home built on the fire site, but the government estimates that rebuilding will take about a decade. Now she says she could accept a similar-sized apartment in another district with good transport.

Her husband, Keung Mak, 78, hopes they can return to their old home just to have a look.

''Many people hope they can at least see how badly it was burned,'' he said.

Weighing time against place

During past Lunar New Year celebrations, Isaac Tam's family used to visit neighbors on their floor with gifts. Now, the familiar faces he has known for years are scattered across the city.

Last weekend, they were preparing to move into temporary homes, smaller than their old apartments and farther from the city center. They shelled out money to renovate them.

While he says the government's handling is not as bad as some say, he worries about how his grandfather will adjust to temporary housing in a new district. Back in Tai Po, the grandfather used to have a morning dim sum routine with his friends.

While awaiting the government's resettlement plans, they are mulling apartments in another district that could be ready sooner than units in Tai Po, which he prefers because he grew up there.

Time is their priority, given his grandfather's age, Tam said.

''I fear he can't wait until we secure an apartment of about 400 square feet (about 37 square meters),'' he said, regardless of the district.

Phyllis Lo's mother called her after seeing thick smoke outside her door when the blaze started. On the call, knowing she might not survive, her 74-year-old mother asked Lo, 48, and her brother to live well.

Lo immediately rushed to her childhood home and called again minutes later. No one answered. The next morning, police told her they had found her mother's body.

After learning that a mix of issues including substandard materials were used in the building maintenance project and failed fire alarms, Lo wondered if the tragedy could have been avoided if government departments had done a better job. While she doesn't know who should bear responsibility, she blames herself for not looking into the building maintenance for her mother more closely.

What bothers her most is the lack of transparency — when will she be allowed to go see her burnt apartment, how will authorities use the $589 million relief fund. She hopes the nine-month investigation will release what was found.

She wants her childhood home rebuilt at the fire site, but considers the proposed timeline — about a decade — unreasonably long.

Rebuilding a community isn't easy

Hong Kong leader John Lee said the city is working hard on a resettlement plan, but it's a complicated matter. He added that a significant proportion of homeowners have indicated that they'd be willing to consider selling their ownership rights to the government.

''This is no easy time for families of Wang Fuk Court. The government will work tirelessly to finalize the plan as soon as possible,'' he said at Tuesday's news conference.

Jack Rozdilsky, professor of disaster and emergency management at York University in Canada, said that concrete plans for continuous mental health and trauma coping assistance will be key to a successful resettlement plan.

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