Hong Kong fire survivors rebuild lives from ashes

Charred memories

Displaced families from the estate's seven fire-ravaged blocks were allowed to return to the site for the first time on April 20 to retrieve what remained of their possessions.

For many, it was also an opportunity to say goodbye to the place they once called home.

Among them were Gabby and Antonio, a married couple from Wang Sun House in their 40s. Inside their apartment, the plaster on the smoke-stained walls hung like ragged sheets. The door was burned through, and building debris littered the floor.

"We braced ourselves beforehand," they said. "The stair climb, and our flat's condition, were about what we imagined."

However, there was some joy amid the ruins. Antonio retrieved one of their wedding rings from their bedroom using a metal detector.