A Voice from the Flames: The Tragedy at Wang Fuk Court

This is a record of an interview with Zhang Gongliang, 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 fire at Wang Fuk Court, Hong Kong. Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe, on November 29, 2025.

Practitioner Su speaks:

"Zhang Gongliang, who passed away at Wang Fuk Court, 3821 Tai Po Road, Yuen Chau Tsai, Hong Kong, and was subsequently delivered to the Dharma-Nature Land: you are now safe in the Dharma-Nature Land. Your body is healed, and your spirit never dies. I have just consulted with Namo Amituofo, and the Buddha has designated you, Zhang Gongliang, to come forward for this interview. Please report the situation at the scene exactly as it happened to provide peace of mind to your family. Your spirit is already at the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. You may speak now. You were saved by Namo Amituofo; tell your family they must come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to thank the Buddha."

Zhang Gongliang speaks:

"At this moment, my heart has finally calmed down. That massive fire came so quickly; it was a truly terrifying, life-stealing inferno.

The Sudden Onset of the Inferno

When I first discovered the fire, I was immediately confronted by a wall of flames. I lived on the eleventh floor, right next to the elevator. I told myself that I must not take the elevator during a fire. The flames came in wave after wave; I had no time to react, and there was nowhere to hide. My body was being burned, and the pain was excruciating. I could not find an exit to escape. I am usually a calm and conservative person, but at that moment, I panicked. It was truly a matter of life and death; I simply could not keep my composure. I was single-mindedly focused on escaping. Later, when my body was being consumed by the fire, I felt utterly despondent, but as long as I had a breath left, I could not give up. I fled toward what I thought was the staircase, and finally, I found an exit.

Trapped in a Sea of Fire

I lowered my body and entered the stairwell. There was a section without flames, but the smoke was incredibly thick, choking me constantly. I thought of wetting a towel to cover my mouth, but it was already too late. There was fire behind me; I could not go back. I ran downward with all my might, but suddenly, the path ahead was completely engulfed in a sea of fire. I collapsed to the ground. It was scorching hot. I felt completely powerless, with flames closing in on me from both the front and the back. I knew there was no way out. I wanted to rush through the fire to save my life, but I lacked the courage because the flames were just too massive! My mind went blank. Was I really going to die in this fire? The flames on my body continued to burn. My body was in agony, the temperature of the fire was extremely high, and the heat was intense, accompanied by wave after wave of thick, suffocating smoke.

The Moment of Departure

I kept waiting for someone to come and save me, but no one came. At that point, my despair outweighed everything else. Later, my head was struck, and after a sharp, piercing pain, I lost consciousness. The moment my head was struck, I felt as if my spirit had jumped out of my body. It was a terrifying sensation. I watched my own body lying motionless, being consumed by the fire, until it turned black. The fire was still burning. I kept weeping; I could not believe what I was seeing. I kept telling myself to stay calm, to stay calm, but I could not. I heard the cries and pleas for help from others, but at that time, I could not even look after them.

The Loss of Home and Hope

My soul was also trying to dodge the fire. I watched as the place I lived in—the home I had bought with my life savings—was consumed by flames. Now, everything was gone. Watching my own body burn was an incredibly painful experience. My heart was twisted in knots. No matter how much I screamed, I received no rescue, and I could not stop the fire. I knew it was all too late, but I still held onto a sliver of hope that at least someone would discover my burning body.

The Presence of Fire Demons

I do not know on which floor of the staircase I stopped, but I could hear the crackling and popping sounds of the massive fire outside. It was so loud, so very loud! I thought to myself that there must be wind, because that was the sound of wind carrying the fire. There were fire demons present! I believe that in this massive fire, the fire demons must have known what was happening.

I do not know how much time passed. My mind was a blank, as if frozen in that moment, but I could feel the fire around me burning continuously. This fire must have burned for a very long time! If I remember correctly, the fire at my residence likely started on the evening of the 26th. I do not know why, but by the time I discovered it, the fire was already raging.

The Light of Deliverance

Everything happened too quickly! My soul was filled with fear and helplessness. In a very short time, I told myself that I was already dead. My home was gone, and my family must be suffering terribly. After that, my mind went blank again.

Suddenly, a very bright light shone down from above. This light seemed to extinguish the fire, allowing me to see the light and the surroundings illuminated by it. In an instant, it was as if the fire had been extinguished. So many spirits were running toward the light. Many others were just standing there, but they were also gathered up by the light. I was one of them. I was reluctant to leave that place; it was my home. But this was the only chance to leave the fire scene. It was the light of salvation! We did not see people coming to save us, but we saw the light coming to save us! Therefore, I did not have much time to think, and I was also taken away by the light. Almost at the same time, time seemed to stand still.

Finding Peace in the Pure Land

We were brought to a very bright place. This was different from the brightness of the sea of fire. The sea of fire was a terrifying, high-temperature heat; this was a very warm light. We did not yet understand what was happening. I could still hear many cries and screams; it was not easy to recover from all of that. We were still in a state of shock and fear, but this place was very peaceful, as if it were quietly accepting all of us.

Slowly, the cries and screams of everyone subsided, including my own. It was then that I discovered I was sitting in a seat—a very good seat. I could stay here with peace of mind because there were no signs of fire here, and there was no need to run for my life. I do not want to go anywhere else now; I just want to stay here quietly.

After I settled down, I looked around to understand what this was all about, and I discovered that this was a temple—the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. The light I saw in the fire scene was the Buddha-light of Namo Amituofo. I understood now: it was Namo Amituofo who saved us. I am now at the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. This place is quite a distance from Hong Kong, but when the Buddha-light came to pick us up, it was very fast.

At this moment, I think of my family—my wife, my children. I am fine now, but I must accept the fact that I have passed away. You can come to the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre to find me. You must thank Namo Amituofo; it was Namo Amituofo who saved me."

Zhang Gongliang