Since the fire at Wang Fuk Court, many social organisations and kind-hearted individuals have reached out to help affected residents, showing the very best of humanity. Residents have been allowed back to their flats in batches since April 20 to retrieve their belongings, and the Hong Kong Island Women's Association has launched a free volunteer taxi service specifically to pick up residents after they finish and take them back to their current homes. Those who have used the service say the booking process was smooth, and the drivers have been thoughtful and proactive in helping with luggage, for which they are deeply grateful.
Mrs Wu, a Wang Fuk Court resident, was recently scheduled to return to her flat. Upon learning of the free taxi service, she took the initiative to contact them. At around 7 o'clock that evening, a volunteer taxi picked her up from the estate.
When the taxi arrived at Mrs Wu's new home, the driver, Mr Cheng, opened the boot to reveal dozens of packages crammed inside—hiking backpacks, red-white-blue canvas bags, and all manner of large sacks. Mr Cheng expertly unloaded the items one by one, placing them gently on the ground before carrying each piece into the house, with Mrs Wu helping alongside.
"The whole process was very smooth. The driver was really so nice—not only did he take us home for free, but he also helped move everything right to our doorstep," Mrs Wu said gratefully after everything was safely inside. She noted that her family now lives in a village house where access is not convenient. When the driver learned this, he not only drove the taxi right to the village entrance, but also turned off the engine, parked, and carried all the luggage to the door before leaving.
Mr Cheng simply smiled and said, "It's the right thing to do." Since late April, as residents have been retrieving items in stages, he has been handling one or two volunteer trips a day, taking Wang Fuk Court residents to destinations across Hong Kong free of charge.
Mrs Wu, who lived on the 31st floor of Wang Kin House with her mother, husband and daughter, had been worrying about the state of her home ever since the fire. "In the days before going upstairs, I was very nervous, I couldn't even sleep well for several nights," she said.
"There were gold pieces, cash, my daughter's hand and foot moulds, and I didn't think I'd still be able to find photos from my school days thirty years ago, and class pictures," Mrs Wu recounted. However, because of their limited capacity, they were unable to bring down her daughter's child's bed and toys, which left her deeply regretful. She hopes for another chance to go upstairs. "I deliberately didn't say a formal goodbye at home, because I hope there will be a second chance," she said, her voice slightly choked with emotion.
Mrs Wu also expressed gratitude for the help of police and Civil Aid Service officers along the way, who taught them to wear helmets, what to look out for, and cheered them on. "There were 31 floors in total, I don't know how long it took us to get through them," she recalled. "Besides the four of us, there were six police and Civil Aid Service staff who accompanied us the entire way up and down, telling us not to push ourselves and that we could rest any time. While we were packing at home, they never rushed us. They even told us, 'Pack whatever you can, don't worry about whether you can carry it—we're here to help.' That gave us tremendous confidence."
A fire may rewrite many lives, but the moments of mutual help and the warmth that follow are equally indelible.
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