Toronto resident Paul Chow was devastated when the apartment where he grew up made international news this week after a raging inferno tore through seven highrise towers in Hong Kong, leaving greater than 100 dead and a whole bunch missing.
It has been a roller-coaster of emotions for Chow, who has gone from worry to sadness, distress and anger as he watched in horror, seeing the place he was born and lived for greater than 30 years engulfed in flames, and knowing a lot of his former neighbours were still unaccounted for.
The deadly fire ripped through much of the eight-block Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong’s Tai Po district on Wednesday.
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Hong Kong Fire Services says it took firefighters a day to get the fireplace under control, noting it was fully extinguished by Friday morning, about 40 hours after it began.
Chow says his parents and his sister continue to exist the seventh floor in one among the buildings, and he rushed to get in contact with them immediately as soon as he saw the news.
Fortunately, Chow says his parents were on vacation when the fireplace broke out, and his sister was at work.
He says that although his family members are secure and now temporarily staying at a member of the family’s home, his parents still aren’t allowed to go inside to envision the conditions of the unit.
He says the inferno has left them heartbroken.
The blaze jumped rapidly from one constructing to the subsequent as foam panels and bamboo scaffolding covered in green mesh netting installed by a construction company caught fire.
Chow says he believes this can be a human-caused incident, and he said this “disaster in Hong Kong history” might have been avoided.
Chow says he hopes the people and firms who’re answerable for the tragedy shall be held accountable, adding that the Hong Kong government should take more motion to make sure affected residents have a warm place to remain as they await compensation.
Global Affairs Canada estimates there are about 300,000 Canadians living in Hong Kong.
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