India, Nov. 29 -- When the last pockets of fire at the Wang Fuk Court housing complex in Tai Po, a suburban district in Hong Kong, were finally extinguished on Friday morning, the smoke cleared to reveal a new crisis. Thousands of residents are suddenly without homes, documents, savings, or any sense of how their lives will function in the days ahead.

The blaze destroyed entire floors, erased possessions accumulated over decades, and pushed families into shelters and hotel rooms.

Survivors from young parents to elderly couples are now confronting a future as uncertain as the blackened towers behind them.

For many, the moment everything changed came without warning.

The massive blaze, which swept through the high-rise complex in Tai Po...