Lai Hok-man may have survived the fire that ravaged his old Ma Tau Wai tenement block last year, but his pain will last a lifetime.
Lai's pregnant wife and two young sons died one year ago today while trying to escape from their fourth-floor flat in a building teeming with illegally subdivided dwellings. Lai, who stayed behind to grab some possessions, awoke in hospital three days later to learn of their fate.
'I won't ever stop asking why this happened to me,' Lai said. 'I forever bear the burden of being the only one to survive.'
The late-night fire also claimed the life of an 18-year-old girl and displaced numerous residents from the eight-storey building. It helped expose an explosion of illegally subdivided 'cubicle' flats in the city's older buildings as Hongkongers look for ways to overcome a shortage of affordable housing.
The authorities believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault in a photography studio storeroom on the ground floor.
One year on, Lai said he had yet to come to terms with the grief he feels having survived the blaze. He credited social workers and friends with helping him get through the days. He now lives in public housing and has returned to work.
