A lot of things happened to us this week. I guess nobody lives an entire life without a crisis. And yet, in a matter of few hours, we had to face the most harrowing and disheartening nightmare we believe we have ever heard.
In the morning, I was riding bike with my wife near Tai Po, from Ma Liu Shui Waterfront to Tai Mei Tuk. That traffic-free bike path is a favourite route of my daughter. And our family, too. The Tolo Harbour Cycling Track is mostly flat terrain. The only steep climb happens to be near a fire station at Ting Kok Road. The tough ride upslope forced us to slow down and spend more time looking at the fire station. Little did I know then that I was going to hear, a few hours later, the hugely devastating story of a firefighter who was killed in an inferno ravaging Tai Po.
A fire broke out that afternoon in an apartment complex, home to around 4,600 residents in Tai Po. Smoldering smoke particles became flames that became explosive tornadoes that became canonical blaze. Everyone is in shock, and I am no different. I got a knot in my stomach, which started the size of a penny and grew with the mounting death toll announced in the news.
The number of fire victims is expected to rise, with many people still missing.
May God pitch his tent of mercy over the scorched place in Tai Po, and get us out the "burn unit", back into the sunshine again.
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