【Hong Fuk Court 5-Alarm Fire】Final Call Heard Wife Say 'Too Much Smoke, Can't Take It'—Husband Hopes Wife Will Be Rescued Soon

The 5-alarm fire at Hong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong raged for most of the day, and as of the morning of the 27th, had still not been extinguished. A resident of the building on fire, Mr. Chung, said that his wife and their beloved cat still had not been rescued. The fire department had received multiple distress calls and came for rescue attempts several times but still had not been able to save those trapped.

Mr. Chung recalled that he rushed home at around 3:30 pm on the afternoon of the incident and the fire was already quite severe. He immediately informed the firefighters on the scene about the situation and called for help dozens of times, but so far, no one had been rescued. Fire personnel called Mr. Chung in the middle of the night, saying they would go upstairs again for rescue, but there has still been no news.

"The fire spread very quickly, in 10 minutes it had already reached the top floor, and it was all smoke everywhere," Mr. Chung said. He recounted that his last conversation with his wife was around 7 pm on the 26th when she was in a bedroom in their unit. "My wife said there was too much smoke, she couldn't take it," he recalled, believing she later lost consciousness. Mr. Chung dared not call his wife again, fearing it would put her in more danger.

Mr. Chung's younger brother said that friends helped call hospitals for information, but still there had been no news. Even through civilian rescue channels, leaving personal details, there was still no result. Mr. Chung was extremely anxious, unable to hide his worry and grief: "Now, all I want is to get her (my wife) out as soon as possible, alive or not, just to get her out. I don't want (my wife) left inside the apartment."

The cause of the fire is still under investigation. Mr. Chung suspects it was started by workers smoking, but he is not clear why the fire spread so rapidly. On-site, the external walls of the building have already been blackened by smoke, and firefighters continue with firefighting and search and rescue operations.