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Voice Actor Ai Furihata Donates Part of Hong Kong Event Proceeds to Fire Victims

Voice actor Ai Furihata (voice of Love Live! Sunshine!!'s Ruby Kurosawa) announced on Sunday that she will donate a portion of her Hong Kong fan meeting proceeds to the recovery efforts of the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex fire. Furihata expressed her condolences to the victims of the November 26 fire: "In the hopes of helping with the recovery efforts, a portion of the proceeds from this event will be donated to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government's ‘Tai Po Wang Fuk Court Relief Fund’ to support those affected at Wang Fuk Court."

Furihata stated she was hesitant in holding the fan meeting while Hong Kong residents were recovering from the fire. "Regarding the Hong Kong fan meeting planned for this month, given the events I wondered if I should proceed with it." The voice actor ultimately decided to go forward with the event following encouragement and support from fans in Hong Kong.

According to a November 26 NBC report, the Wang Fuk Court apartment complex fire broke out in the afternoon that day. By the following morning, 44 people were confirmed killed in the fire and 279 people were unaccounted for. As of December 4, authorities reported 159 dead with 31 still missing.

The apartment complex was undergoing renovations when the fire broke out. Bamboo scaffolding and netting (erected around the complex for the renovations) as well as falling debris hindered the rescue efforts of firefighters onsite. In a statement to the Associated Press, Derek Armstrong Chan, deputy director of Fire Service operations, said, "The temperature inside the buildings concerned is very high. It's difficult for us to enter the building and go upstairs to conduct firefighting and rescue operations."

Sources: Ai Furihata's X/Twitter account (link 2), NBC, Reuters via Hachima Kikō