Many frantic residents of Wang Fuk Court spent a sleepless night outside the Tai Po housing estate even as firefighters struggled to extinguish the inferno, hoping to hear from their missing loved ones.

One resident told RTHK she lost contact with her elderly, wheelchair-bound husband on Wednesday night.

“I’ve lost contact with him,” she said. “I was on the phone with him earlier, at 6 o’clock… but he didn’t pick up after that. I don’t know what the situation is now.”

“He told me that there was a lot of smoke, but it’s ok, I’m using a wet cloth to cover my nose and mouth, there’s no problem.

“I told him to hold on to his phone and to keep it with him at all times.”

Another woman didn’t find out about the inferno until she returned to Hong Kong on Wednesday evening from a trip to Shenzhen, but couldn’t reach her husband either.

“I couldn’t get through to him by phone this whole time. He’s retired, 79. I can only wait and hope he’s ok.”

Others counted their blessings that their family members were either not at the building when the fire erupted or made it out on time.

A woman surnamed Chan told RTHK even though she feels very fortunate that her family escaped harm, she can no longer bear the thought of returning home even after the last embers are extinguished.

“I really need to leave this place for a while because it's all too shocking. It's very hard to put what happened out of my mind... It's haunting... just very hard to forget,” she said.

“Knowing that many people have lost their lives makes me feel extremely fortunate. My family members are fine, but it just feels very unsafe.”

While Chan said she was now trying to figure out where she can stay, a 72-year-old man who said he has been living at Wang Fuk Court for 25 years, said he just wanted to go home.

“It’s my home!” he said with a bittersweet chuckle.

“If there isn’t a huge mess and they've sorted it all out, then I'll go back,” he said.

“I don't know how long it'll take. It'll be a headache even if they let us back in today.”

Some evacuees declined to stay in indoor shelters, preferring to remain close to the damaged buildings to keep watch from a safe distance.

There were scenes of both relief and shock as neighbours reunited outside the estate.

Many were visibly relieved to see friends and family safe, but others wore a look of bewilderment after losing all their belongings and not knowing where to go next.

Many residents stayed in the area to do whatever they could to help, and local shops have been donating supplies to residents affected by the fire -- providing winter clothing, mattresses, thick blankets, food, drinks and other daily necessities.

University student Joseph rode his bike for 20 minutes from his home in Ma On Shan.

“I bring my power bank and some chargers for people who have their phones. I feel so...really really sad, and makes me cannot sleep and come here.”

Many animals are believed to be trapped inside the buildings, and a rescue group says many would likely have perished by now.

Sharon Kwok from Aquameridian Conservation and Education was among those who went to Tai Po to respond to calls for help from worried pet-owners.

She told RTHK about one instance where an owner can see their 18-year-old poodle via a webcam.

“They could see the dog in bed. They can see the dog freaking out, but no one can reach the dog,” she said.

“We've tried to connect with both the police as well as the fire department. We're all waiting with bated breath. And for now, that dog is still alive, but we do know that a lot of the animals here are already dead,” she added.