Hong Kong says final farewell to heroic firefighter killed in industrial building blaze
Senior fire officer Thomas Cheung is buried with full honours after ceremonies and tributes
On a sweltering Sunday, the city said its last goodbyes to senior fire officer Thomas Cheung, who died battling the Ngau Tau Kok industrial building blaze last month.
Bagpipes played funereal tunes as six of Cheung’s colleagues carried his coffin to Gallant Garden at Wo Hop Shek Cemetery for a burial fit for a hero.
Cheung’s widow led the crowd in laying flowers on the coffin. Their four-month-old son was held by another family member and also laid a lily to send off his father.
Relatives, friends and fellow firefighters became emotional and openly wept during the half-hour ceremony. Cheung’s instructor carried his helmet all the way, until it was permanently buried with its master.
Cheung, 30, was one of two firemen killed while battling the inferno that engulfed a mini-storage facility at the Amoycan Industrial Centre on June 21. The fire raged for 108 hours, making it one of the longest in the city’s history.
