A five-alarm fire broke out at Hong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong on the 26th, causing multiple casualties. Some residents remain missing, including a 16-year-old student named Lai Hoi-ki, who had sent a WhatsApp message to her boyfriend stating that the fire had already spread to her home. After leaving a final message, “So exhausted,” she lost contact and has been unheard from since, leaving her family extremely anxious.
According to Sing Tao Headline, Lai Hoi-ki lived with her grandmother, who is in her 70s, and her uncle in Unit 1605 of Hong Tai House.
Lai Hoi-ki’s boyfriend, Mr. Leung, said that Hoi-ki had gone home after finishing her exam that day and reported the fire to him via WhatsApp at around 3pm. She sent a message at 3:08pm saying, “The neighboring flat is on fire.” At 3:15pm, she reported again, “It’s burning over here.” At 3:23pm, she sent her final message: “So exhausted,” after which she lost contact.
Lai Hoi-ki’s grandfather escaped unharmed as he happened to be downstairs at the time of the incident, and the family managed to reunite with him that evening. However, Lai Hoi-ki, her grandmother, and her uncle remain missing.
Mr. Leung and Lai Hoi-ki’s brother have repeatedly contacted the fire department hotline and confirmed the unit’s information several times. They have visited community centers and hospitals to search, and also went in person to the fire scene to check the photos of victims released by the police and fire department, but have still not found any clues.
They later also posted on the social platform Threads, hoping to use the power of the internet and media to quickly find their family members.
According to the “Hong Fuk Court Peace Report Web App” set up by a programmer, it was once noted that three cats had been rescued from Unit 1605 of Hong Tai House, but two females and one male were still being sought. As of the 12pm update on the 28th, a 16-year-old girl, a woman in her 70s, and a man aged 50–60 were still missing.