Quick to act

On Thursday, rescue and supporting services were quick to receive support from neighboring Guangdong province. A volunteer convoy from Huizhou, Guangdong, traveled through the night to deliver emergency supplies of thousands of towels and blankets.

"Do we have enough masks now?" a volunteer cried out at a makeshift relief center in Tai Po. She was surrounded by a sea of donations, including clothes, boxes and trolleys filled with daily essentials.

When Faye Jiang and her colleagues learned that volunteers were needed to help residents in Tai Po's fire-hit area, they swiftly organized a relief effort.

On Thursday, they brought necessities such as socks, disposable underwear, fruit and drinks for the residents.

The decision to help was made without hesitation after they had arrived at their Admiralty office in Hong Kong that morning. They pooled HK$30,000 to purchase supplies and rented a van to deliver them to the site.

"It's touching to see so many people voluntarily helping out at such a difficult time," Jiang told China Daily. "Some of them came from Shenzhen (Guangdong) on Wednesday night and have stayed here ever since."

Ten employees from Jiang's company — half of the office — took the trip. Like Jiang, who has lived in Hong Kong since 2011, some of them are also originally from the Chinese mainland. "It is a true embodiment of 'blood is thicker than water'," Jiang said.

After hearing the news of the Tai Po fire, 63-year-old Shenzhen resident Zhang Lixin departed around 6 am on Thursday for Hong Kong, carrying bottles of medicinal oil for joint pain and blood circulation.

Meanwhile, government agencies have helped arrange support supplies, and a multitude of mainland enterprises and foundations have made donations. Public organizations, government-invested enterprises, and private firms have pledged tens of millions of dollars to support rescue and relief efforts.