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 that morning. They pooled HK$30,000 ($3,854) 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 on Wednesday night and have stayed here ever since.”

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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’.”

The tragedy also served as a wake-up call for Jiang’s family. Having lived on a high floor of a residential estate for over 30 years, she became concerned about fire safety. She has since taken the time to familiarize her son and her mother with fire escape tips.

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 treatment oil for joint pain and blood circulation.

While at the scene, he distributed among the affected individuals near the scene of the fire.

Zhang told China Daily that he has made similar efforts before, a practice he maintains to offer support wherever possible.