A Reporter's Final Dispatch from the Flames

This is a record of an interview with Wu Ying-chong, who sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. He now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This account reflects upon his passing during the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in Hong Kong. Recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa-ru, on December 10, 2025.

Wu Ying-chong speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. I am forty-three-year-old Wu Ying-chong. I have been waiting in the Dharma-Nature Land for some time to be interviewed, and I am finally here. I had worried I might have to wait much longer. Being able to accept this interview—having actually gone through with it—makes my heart feel much more settled.

This is the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Here, I am a spirit. I never knew what it felt like to be a spirit until now.

The Skeptic Becomes the Subject

When I was alive, I was terrified of ghosts. I never believed in anything that wasn't scientific. I always treated the things depicted in television and movies as jokes. I never imagined that I would become a ghost myself. I want to tell everyone: ghosts truly exist, and there are so many of them—they are everywhere.

I am a journalist. When I was younger, I was often on the front lines. Now that I am more senior, I have retreated behind the scenes to work as an editor. Digging out other people's secrets is our duty, including those related to social cases. In our line of work, we usually avoid discussing the supernatural, but when you are actually out in the field, you cannot avoid these things. Sometimes, when covering major cases—the kind where lives are at stake—special phenomena occur. You cannot avoid them; when you encounter them, you can only show respect.

The First-Line Correspondent

On the day of the fire, I was at home editing the latest information sent by my colleagues. A lot of data had come in, and it took time to organise. By the afternoon, reports of the fire at Wang Fuk Court began to appear. I noticed it immediately, as I happened to be inside Wang Fuk Court at that very moment. It had been a long time since I worked on the front lines, but now that I had encountered this, I became the first-line special correspondent for the massive fire.

I quickly grabbed my phone, turned on the camera, and headed toward the source of the fire. I first went to the ground-floor courtyard. From the exterior, it was clear that the fire was most severe at Wang Chang House; it was highly likely the point of origin. The fire was already slowly spreading to Wang Tai House. After recording some precious first-hand information, I quickly ran toward Wang Chang House. I tried to enter the burning building to get some exclusive footage. I followed the stairs upward, but by the third floor, the fire was already blocking my path. I could not continue. I retreated to the ground floor. I had already obtained some footage and did not need to risk my life for deeper shots. I briefly recorded the scene of everyone fleeing and then moved to the other building.

Caught in the Inferno

At Wang Tai House, the elevators were still working, and people were evacuating in a panic. Based on the footage from the perimeter, I judged that the fire in this building likely started on a middle floor. I took the elevator to the twelfth floor. As soon as the doors opened, I could feel the heat. I hoped to capture some footage of the open flames. I followed the high temperature to find the source. The closer I got to the fire, the thicker the smoke became. I saw flames bursting out of a room. The owner seemed to have already fled, but they hadn't closed the door. The tongues of fire shot out, rapidly spreading to the entire public area. The smoke and heat were too intense; I could not move forward to film. I captured the scene of the massive fire from a distance.

After filming briefly, I headed down the stairs. The stairwell was piled with debris. I quickly filmed it as evidence; this would be key for determining responsibility later. The escape route was blocked by obstacles, which is a crucial point for news stories. I filmed a few more shots on the floor below, but the fire hadn't spread there yet. It seemed that a floor above the twelfth was the origin point for this building. I suspect the exterior safety netting caught fire and burned into the interior. I returned to the stairwell and continued downward. The middle floors didn't seem to be on fire yet. When I reached the third or fourth floor, the power suddenly went out. I quickly recorded the time—it was around 5:15 PM. I continued downward when suddenly I saw flames bursting from below. I was shocked—how could the fire be below me? I suspect the fire was spreading up and down along the exterior, and perhaps there was a breach on a lower floor that allowed the fire to enter, causing the third floor to ignite. Seeing this, I immediately retreated to the fourth floor. I thought, if the stairs are blocked, I'll take the elevator down. When I reached the elevator on the fourth floor, it wasn't running. I remembered the power was out. The building had no emergency backup power. I returned to the stairwell, but the fire and smoke had already reached the fourth floor. I rushed toward the fifth floor. The air temperature was extremely high, and the smoke was thick. I inhaled several mouthfuls of toxic smoke, and I instantly began coughing and tearing up uncontrollably. I continued to climb, but the fire was faster than me, and the smoke was unbearable.

The Final Transmission

Around the seventh floor—I couldn't be sure of the floor because visibility was so poor—I left the stairwell. I hurriedly tried to transmit the video I had just recorded back to the company. For some reason, the transmission speed was very slow. I calmly looked for a spot that would be the last to be invaded by smoke and fire. I chose a spot near the elevator doors. I sat on the floor, trying my best to upload the videos and photos I had just taken. However, the transmission speed couldn't keep up with the spread of the fire. I soon felt difficulty breathing. The thick smoke continued to surge from both sides. I couldn't breathe. I lay on the floor gasping, and soon I lost consciousness.

In an instant, I felt my spirit detach from my physical state. I could see everything very clearly. I carefully recorded the situation of the fire spreading around me. I saw that the building was actually on fire at multiple points simultaneously. It wasn't spreading from a single floor upward or downward, but rather being engulfed by fire from multiple floors. No wonder I was caught between flames from above and below. I looked at my body, which had already been swallowed by the massive fire; before long, it was charred, shrivelled, and down to the bone. It wasn't as if I hadn't covered social cases on the front lines before—I had seen all kinds of tragic scenes—but today, the protagonist was myself, along with my neighbours and friends. I looked at my phone, not knowing if the transmission had succeeded. The phone had already melted and charred; I couldn't tell if it had gone through. I felt a bit of regret for not transmitting the video sooner. I should have uploaded each clip as soon as I finished filming. Of course, I never expected to be buried in a sea of fire, but any reporter who truly works the front lines knows in their heart that you can never predict what emergencies will happen. That is why usually only young reporters are willing to go to the front lines. Before I died, I could say I returned to my old profession one last time. Actually, I felt quite comforted. Although I might not have successfully transmitted the exclusive data, I was very satisfied that my spirit as a journalist remained. I may have been old, but my heart was not.

Deliverance by Buddha-Light

The fire spread instantly, connecting the flames across all floors. The entire building became a pillar of fire reaching the sky. It burned for a long time without showing any signs of weakening. After a while, a golden light enveloped the entire building. All the victims vanished instantly, and I was one of them. When I came to my senses, I had already arrived at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This is a world I had never seen before. It is located in Australia, but it exists in a different space—different from the human world. The Dharma-Nature Land is a spiritual world.

I was someone who didn't believe in such supernatural things, but since I am now in the midst of it, I must report it truthfully. This place is incredibly vast and is not limited by the physical boundaries of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Inside, there are countless lotus flowers, and on each lotus flower is a spirit. I am standing on a lotus flower. It is truly bright and beautiful here. The air emits a delicate fragrance and is constantly changing, and the Buddha-name of Namo Amituofo is played in the air at all times.

This is the place where Namo Amituofo resides. All the spirits here are disciples who have taken refuge in Namo Amituofo. I didn't understand why I had come to this place. Later, after hearing Practitioner Su explain it, I realized that Namo Amituofo had shone a great light at the scene of the fire, saving all the spirits of the victims. Everyone had been burned to death in the fire, but after their spirits left their bodies, they remained on the spot with nowhere to go. Upon hearing this news, Practitioner Su invited Namo Amituofo to Wang Fuk Court to shine His light, and this Buddha-light immediately brought the spirits of the deceased to the Dharma-Nature Land.

A Call to My Colleagues

I, Wu Ying-chong, really never expected that at the end of my life, I would enter a Buddhist temple in such a special way. Now, I have also taken refuge in Namo Amituofo. If it weren't for the Buddha, my spirit would still be wandering in the fire scene. Without the Buddha, I would not have had the opportunity to be interviewed. This is truly a unique experience. In the past, I was the one interviewing others, but now I am the one being interviewed as a spirit. I have seen spirit-medium rituals in major temples in Hong Kong, but I never thought they were real—that there was truly a spiritual world. Now that I am a member of it, I cannot deny this fact.

After listening to the sutras for many days, I realise this is a truly special place. Namo Amituofo resides here, along with Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju, the ancestral masters of the Western Pure Land, and Practitioner Su. This is something rarely encountered in the human world. It is because of this magnificent opportunity that I can recount the reality of the fire that I couldn't share before, and explain the causes and consequences of how the spirits of the victims were eventually delivered.

I suggest that if any television stations, print media, or online media want to interview the victims, or want to clarify the entire situation of the incident and know where everyone's spirits have gone, they might as well contact the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. Whether you use the information after obtaining it is one thing, but collecting information as thoroughly as possible is one of the professional qualities of a journalist. Do not let your limited concepts restrict you; that is not helpful for clarifying the truth. I appeal to my fellow colleagues to come here to obtain exclusive information. If this model is feasible, it might play a key role in various major disasters and murder cases in the future. Seeking answers from the parties involved is better than divination. This is my personal humble opinion. I wonder if anyone is interested in contacting the temple.

I am grateful to Namo Amituofo, and I am grateful to Practitioner Su for giving me the opportunity to report my experience in full. I am Wu Ying-chong. We shall meet again when the conditions are right.

Namo Amituofo."

Wu Ying-chong