Hong Kong’s home affairs secretary promised Sunday that the government will provide free temporary housing to all residents displaced by a deadly fire that ravaged Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po last week, with accommodation guaranteed for as long as it takes to rebuild their permanent homes.
Speaking on TVB’s “Hong Kong Letters” program, Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak Mei-kuen said approximately 1,900 households were affected by the blaze, which killed at least five people and injured dozens more.
“In short, however long it takes the residents to rebuild their homes is the length of time they can stay in the free housing provided by the government,” Mak said. “We will ensure flexibility in terms of transitional housing or designated flats under the Hong Kong Housing Society. We will not allow housing to be a problem for the residents affected.”
The pledge expands on earlier emergency measures. The government has already begun distributing HK$10,000 (about $1,280) in cash relief to registered households who present themselves in person in Tai Po. Mak said authorities are now arranging for residents who have relocated to temporary shelters in districts such as Tuen Mun to collect the payment at Home Affairs Department offices closer to their current location.
Additional longer-term financial support is also being prepared, the secretary said. Funds will be drawn from a dedicated relief pool and could include subsidies for daily necessities, education grants, and direct assistance for reconstruction costs.
“When residents move to transitional housing, they need to buy different things,” Mak said. “Even though we will provide furniture, residents may want to buy a cup. We will give them support.”
She emphasized that all disbursements will be subject to independent auditing to ensure proper use of public money.
The fire, which erupted late Monday night in a residential block of the subdivided-unit building, spread rapidly and required hundreds of firefighters to bring under control. An investigation into the cause is ongoing, with preliminary reports pointing to possible electrical faults in one of the subdivided flats.
The government has faced mounting public pressure to deliver swift and comprehensive aid to survivors, many of whom lost all their belongings and remain scattered across temporary shelters and relatives’ homes.
As of Sunday evening, hundreds of displaced residents continued to queue at relief centers in Tai Po to register for assistance and receive basic supplies.
