“This Is the Last Call I Had”: Hong Kong Man Recalls Wife’s Final Moments in Deadly Wang Fuk Court Blaze

Yip Ka-kui, 67, described the last phone call he received from his wife as a fast-moving blaze ripped through the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Hong Kong. What began outside as a fire on bamboo scaffolding and renovation netting quickly consumed foam window coverings and raced up the façades of the sprawling eight-building estate.

Yip said he was about to take a nap when his wife, Bai Shui Lin, called from another room to warn that the fire was spreading to the neighbouring block where their son lived. He gathered his clothes and phone and rushed downstairs, only to watch flames leap to his own building and block the main lobby.

“I called my wife immediately and said there's a big fire and we have to go now,” Yip recalled. “I told my wife, don't come down.”

On the line, Bai told him she could not move through the thick, choking smoke. “Then there was so much noise,” Yip said. “I couldn't hear her anymore… only noise. And then I couldn't contact her anymore. That's the last call I had with her.”

Yip watched from behind a police cordon as rescue teams worked and residents were carried out, but he never saw his wife among the survivors. For days he checked lists of missing people, reviewed posted photos and gave descriptions to nearby hospitals in the hope she had been rescued. Five days later, police called to confirm his worst fear: Bai, his wife of 40 years, had not made it out of their building.

Her remains were badly burned; authorities identified her using an ID card found in her purse and confirmation from the couple’s two sons, who survived the fire. Yip said Bai had gone door to door that night warning neighbours and helped at least three families escape before conditions became unsurvivable. He now struggles with guilt, saying, “If I'd asked her to leave a minute earlier, I think she would have survived. But we know her. She wouldn't have left without warning others.”

Aftermath and investigation

The fire spread across seven of the complex's eight buildings. Officials reported more than 150 fatalities and at least 30 people still missing as emergency teams continued recovery operations. At least 14 people have been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter as investigators probe apparent safety and regulatory violations tied to exterior materials and renovation practices; further arrests have not been ruled out.

The tragedy has raised urgent questions about the use of highly flammable materials on building exteriors, scaffold safety, and oversight of renovation work in densely populated housing estates. Neighbours, survivors and authorities continue to search for answers and to account for those still missing.

Note: Names and direct quotes are included as recounted by family members.