Hong Kong firefighters traumatised after devastating Wang Fuk Court blaze
A firefighter standing silently at a charred window during the deadly Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Estate inferno has moved the city to tears, while first responders describe scenes so harrowing that many fear lasting psychological trauma.
- A viral video showing a firefighter silently staring out of a burnt window has become a symbol of the emotional toll caused by the Wang Fuk Court Estate fire.
- Firefighters reported encountering overwhelming scenes of casualties, with some saying every body they retrieved was already deceased.
- Mental-health experts and the public are calling for urgent psychological support for first responders traumatised by the rescue operation.
HONG KONG: During the catastrophic five-alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court Estate in Tai Po, a frontline firefighter was seen standing at the broken window of a unit that had been entirely gutted by flames.
For nearly five minutes, he stared wordlessly into the distance, his expression heavy and conflicted.
He took several sips of water to recover his strength before returning to the pitch-black corridor to continue his search.
The stark contrast between the burnt interior and the devastation outside has since become one of the most haunting images of the disaster.
Online users responded with an outpouring of grief. Many said his posture showed not exhaustion, but the struggle to suppress overwhelming emotion.
Others wrote that watching him stand motionless brought them to tears, describing the scene as “soul-crushing” and “too painful to watch”.
A Firefighter Speaks: “Every Person I Carried Out Was Already Gone”
Another firefighter later shared his experience on Threads, calling the blaze one of the darkest days of his career.
Assigned to a search-and-rescue sweep on one of the upper floors, he said the corridors were lined with bodies.
Although the public saw images of successful rescues, his team operated in the “deepest darkness”.
“Everyone I carried out was already gone,” he wrote, adding that human life felt “unbelievably fragile” in such a fire.
Once brought back to the ground level, he said his emotions nearly buckled.
He admitted he fought back tears repeatedly, saying the pressure was “beyond words”.
He praised colleagues who pushed themselves to breaking point in the hope of finding even one more survivor.
Urgent Calls for Psychological Support
Many online commenters said the scenes would almost certainly leave lasting trauma.
Mental-health professionals and members of the public urged authorities to deploy psychological counselling teams immediately to support firefighters once they return home.
“This kind of experience leaves scars,” one user wrote. “They shouldn’t face it alone.”
Death toll rises to 146 as Hong Kong enters mourning period
The deadly fire, first reported on 26 November 2025, rapidly escalated into a No. 5 alarm blaze — the most severe classification.
On 30 November, Hong Kong authorities confirmed that the death toll had risen to 146.
Seventy-nine people were injured, including 12 firefighters, while around 40 individuals remain missing and about 100 cases are considered “unresolvable”.
Families with children also lined up outside Sha Tin Fire Station to pay tribute to Ho Wai-ho, 37, the firefighter who was killed last Wednesday shortly after the blaze broke out. Ho had reportedly been preparing to marry his long-time girlfriend in December.
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