The Final Moments in the Wang Fuk Court Fire

This interview documents the account of Li Yinfu, a 45-year-old victim of the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong. Following his passing, he sought deliverance at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia and now resides in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. This testimony was recorded by the chief writer, Shi Fa, on December 2, 2025.

Practitioner Su speaks:

"Li Yinfu, you were a victim of the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court, 3821 Tai Po Road, Tai Po, Hong Kong. At that time, you were present at the scene. How did the fire unfold? You lost your life in that tragedy. You are now in the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. By the compassion of the Buddha, I invite you, Li Yinfu, to recount the events of the disaster exactly as they happened, so that your family may know the truth and perhaps connect with you here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre. I respectfully invite Li Yinfu of the Western Dharma-Nature Land to speak."

Li Yinfu speaks:

"Namo Amituofo. Greetings to everyone. I am Li Yinfu, forty-five years old. Although I have passed away, I am perfectly fine now. I am living very well here in the Western Dharma-Nature Land, so please, do not worry about me. Ever since the massive fire at Wang Fuk Court, I had been feeling incredibly dejected. I could not accept why I had to encounter such a disaster. Why did this fire have to happen, and why did it have to be my building? The odds of this were rarer than winning the lottery, yet I was the one who encountered it."

The Sudden Onset of Chaos

"The day of the fire started like any other. That morning, I was supposed to go out, but my hospital appointment was cancelled, so I stayed home. It was supposed to be extra free time for me. I was watching television when I saw a news report that Wang Fuk Court was on fire. I became very nervous. I quickly checked to see if it was my building. It did not look like it was, but I was uneasy and thought it would be safer to just leave. When I opened my door, the air was already scorching hot. Perhaps I had misread the news, or the report was not updated in real-time. It was fortunate that I opened the door to check; otherwise, if I had just sat there, I would have been finished. But how did I not notice it sooner? There was no time to think; running was the only priority.

I lived on the nineteenth floor. It was so high up that taking the stairs seemed too exhausting, so I thought I would try the lift first, hoping it would take me straight to the ground floor. If that failed, I would head up to the rooftop. I pressed the lift buttons, but all three lifts were unresponsive. I touched the lift doors and found them already burning hot. It was clear that the lifts were not an option. I turned back toward the stairwell, only to discover that tongues of fire were already licking out from it. What was I to do? I had to think of a solution quickly. Since both the stairs and the lifts were blocked, my only choice was to return home and wait for rescue."

A Desperate Search for Help

"I was not sure if my neighbours were aware of the fire, so I hurried to knock on their doors to see if anyone was home. I knocked on many doors, but no one answered. I suppose that was expected; at that time of day, most people would have been out. That was a relief, at least—it meant they did not have to face the threat of the fire. I went door-to-door, knocking on every unit on that floor. There was no response. Perhaps they were out, or perhaps they simply could not hear me. I did not dare spend too much time verifying this; every second was precious. I had done my best to check, and I could not afford to linger. Thick smoke was billowing out, and as I saw the corridor filling with more and more smoke, I had to hurry back home to hide.

When I returned to my front door, I realised that in my panic, I had forgotten to close it when I first ran out. I could not believe I had been so careless. Even if I were fleeing, closing the door could have prevented the fire from consuming my home or kept my belongings safe. Making such a mistake was truly inexcusable. Furthermore, because my home was so close to the stairwell, the thick smoke and fire had already entered the unit. It happened so fast! It did not matter, though; I thought I could still go to the bathroom to get some water and a wet towel, and perhaps I would have a chance to dash through the stairwell."

The Final Struggle

"I rushed into the bathroom, soaked a towel with water, and ran toward the door, only to find that the smoke outside was so thick I could not see the path. Although I could not see clearly, I covered my mouth and nose with the wet towel and crawled on the floor. The air lower down was not as hot, but crawling was much slower than running. Every second was a matter of life and death, yet I was forced to crawl. I felt so anxious and helpless, but it was the only way to keep moving. The closer I got to the stairwell, the more the smoke blinded me. I crawled along the wall, inching forward. Near the stairwell, the fire had already spread completely. What was I to do? The stairs were impassable, I could not return home, and the neighbours were not there. Was there truly no way out?

I decided not to give up. I would crawl back, one step at a time. Perhaps one of my neighbours was actually still inside. If I knocked again, maybe they would hear my plea for help and open the door to let me hide. So, I crawled back along the wall. I felt my way along, and every time I reached a door, I knocked as hard as I could. I did not dare to shout because the smoke was too thick, and I had to keep the wet towel over my mouth and nose. I could only rely on pounding on the doors, hoping someone would hear my desperate call. I tried one door—no response. I crawled further and tried another. Still, no one opened the door. As I crawled further, I began to have real difficulty breathing. It was already hard to breathe through the wet towel, and the thick smoke and hot air made it nearly impossible. The floor and the air were becoming increasingly scorching. I felt pain all over my body. Although I could not see, I knew my body must have been catching fire. I was surrounded by flames; I knew I could not escape it."

A Miraculous Deliverance

"I could not stop wondering: why was it so coincidental that I happened to be home at that exact time today? If only one neighbour had been there to open their door, I would not have died like this. I do not blame my neighbours; I just found it so hard to accept that I was the only one on the entire floor. Why did I happen to leave my door open? If people could not find me, would they assume I was outside and never know I died right there? There were so many situations that I found impossible to accept. But no matter how I thought about it or complained, it could not solve the problem at hand. My body was still in agony, and I could see nothing. I suffered like that for a long time, and then, suddenly, everything changed. I was still in pain, but it was different—I cannot even describe it.

I do not know how much time passed, but suddenly, it became bright before my eyes. I did not know what was happening; I could not have imagined it. How could it be bright in the middle of a fire? Had I been rescued? I was not sure. After a while, I gradually heard the sound of the Buddha-name: Namo Amituofo, Namo Amituofo. The sound was very clear and resonant. I slowly began to calm down. I listened carefully, and my tense heart finally started to relax. Gradually, I began to observe my surroundings. It was a very bright, expansive place. I had never seen such a place before; it looked like something out of a movie, yet it was right before my eyes. It was truly inconceivable. I remembered being burned by the fire, so how did I suddenly arrive here? Where was I?"

A New Beginning in the Pure Land

"A clear voice told me that this was the Western Dharma-Nature Land of the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia. What about the fire? The voice said there was no fire. Was I dead? Was my body charred? The voice told me I was not dead, but that my body was gone. I slowly accepted this fact. I sat there, quietly listening to Namo Amituofo. Sometimes, I could hear someone giving a lecture—that was Practitioner Su giving Dharma talks. That was when I learned that Practitioner Su had invited Namo Amituofo to bring the 128 victims of the fire to the Dharma-Nature Land. So, I was safe. There is no fire here; it is very bright and very beautiful.

I do not know if my neighbours know I am here, but I am fine, and everyone does not need to look for me anymore. Perhaps you will find my body, but I am already here at the Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre in Australia, in the Western Dharma-Nature Land. Please, do not worry about me. Although encountering the fire was unfortunate, I feel very lucky to be in this place now. If I had not encountered the fire, I would not have encountered Namo Amituofo, and I would not have been able to come here. I heard Practitioner Su say that one must chant the Buddha-name to go to the Western Pure Land. It sounds like there is an even more magnificent place than this one. I was so shocked when I heard that. If I had known earlier that such a wonderful place existed, I would not have wanted to stay where I was. Although I was still young and it is a pity to have died, what would a few more years of life have mattered? Even if I had lived to be old and died naturally, I might not have reached this bright and expansive place. And there is still the Western Pure Land—I really want to go and see it. I will chant the Buddha-name to go and see it. I am grateful to Namo Amituofo. I am not so dejected anymore. It is much better here. I hope everyone will not worry about me. Namo Amituofo."

Li Yinfu