A merciless level 5 fire broke out at Hong Fuk Court in Tai Po, Hong Kong, shattering countless families overnight. After the tragedy, many victims have shared their experiences on social platforms. A woman described her story of being separated by life and death from her “father- and mother-in-law” on social media, hoping someone could comfort her mother-in-law and help her get through this hard time.
She mentioned that her father-in-law’s last image was him holding his ID card and wrapped in two wet blankets, describing him as calmly facing death, but also fearing he would not be identified after death, so he smartly held his ID card.
● Mother-in-law blames herself for not staying with husband
The author explained that in recent years, her father-in-law had been in poor health, requiring long-term use of a respirator and relying on a wheelchair. On the day of the fire, her mother-in-law was already out grocery shopping. At that time, it was only the neighboring building that was on fire; at around 3pm, she was still able to contact her father-in-law and reminded him to be careful, but unexpectedly, the fire spread rapidly and soon after her father-in-law was uncontactable.
The author continued that both her husband and mother-in-law feel very guilty. Her husband blames himself for not telling his father to escape with the respirator, while her mother-in-law blames herself for not being by her husband’s side. The author said frankly, “there really isn’t an ‘if’ for many things,” and hopes that those who know her husband can tell him “stay strong,” because he is under the most pressure, having to pretend to be strong and calm to take care of the family’s emotions, while also having no experience handling matters after death.
Besides mentioning the family’s emotions, the author also pointed out that her father-in-law was “very smart.” She learned from her husband that the father-in-law’s last position was in the bathroom, holding his ID card and wrapped in two wet blankets. “You can imagine, father-in-law calmly faced death, holding his ID card, afraid his family wouldn’t find him.”
Netizens have left messages sending blessings, and some have provided contacts for psychiatric nurses and specialist doctors, hoping that the author and her family can regain their strength.