At one point, Wong’s wife called Wong after the fire broke out and had a short conversation that lasted about a minute, their son said, declining to give details. “Soon after that chat, she disappeared.”
Wong said his father, who had worked as a foreman in building maintenance before retiring and was a certified electrician and plumber, had worried about the safety risks from the renovation on the building.
He had ripped out the styrofoam boards covering their windows and replaced them with fire-retardant plastic film. He also regularly sprayed water onto the green mesh outside their flat to keep it moist, the son said.
“Despite knowing the risks, no matter what he did, he couldn’t change what happened,” said the son.
That afternoon, after the picture was taken, the senior Wong stood watching the horror unfold, collapsing onto the pavement at one point. As night fell, a police officer brought him a blue plastic stool to sit on.
“I will come find you,” he muttered at one point, staring up towards his home and speaking to his wife.
Source: CNA
