Government announces updates on follow-up work on Tai Po fire
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Financial and welfare support
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For the Support Fund for Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, established by the Government, donations received are about $3.8 billion as of noon today (December 22). With the start-up capital of $300 million from the Government, the fund's total has now reached around $4.1 billion. The fund will be used to assist residents in rebuilding their homes and providing long-term and sustained support.
The Government is providing a $100,000 living allowance from the Support Fund to each affected household. As of today, 1 935 cases have been processed. Families of each deceased victim will be provided with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. As of today, a total of 146 cases have been processed. In addition, the Government earlier announced three new measures, providing to flat owners at Wang Fuk Court a grant of $100,000; an annual rental grant of $150,000 (to be provided for two years) and a one-off relocation grant of $50,000; as well as a one-off relocation grant of $50,000 for affected tenants. The allowances will be disbursed in phases.
Social workers from the Social Welfare Department (SWD) have been in contact with more than 1 980 affected households, and more than 4 900 residents have been registered for the "one social worker per household" follow-up service. The SWD will maintain liaison with the affected households to provide all necessary assistance while fully supporting the relief work of the Government.
Medical support
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The Health Bureau co-ordinated with various dental care organisations, the Hong Kong Dental Association, and dentists to launch free denture replacement and dental treatment services tomorrow (December 23) to assist affected residents in need. Currently, more than 80 private dentists have participated in the free consultation services, covering 106 service points. Starting from tomorrow until February 28, 2026, all residents of the eight blocks at Wang Fuk Court (including foreign domestic helpers) can receive at least one free dental consultation and one follow-up appointment (subject to clinical need) through the arrangement of the District Health Centres/District Health Centre Expresses under the Primary Healthcare Commission across all 18 districts in Hong Kong. The scope of the free dental consultation services covers two major categories: (1) broken appliances and lost dental appliances due to the incident (including repair or replacement of partial or complete dentures (acrylic), and removable orthodontic retainers); and oral treatment due to injuries inflicted in the incident (including medication for dental pain relief, simple fillings, emergency pulp treatment and extractions).
Accommodation support
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Currently, there is still a supply of more than 1 000 units that can provide affected residents with longer-term accommodation. The transitional housing and the Hong Kong Housing Society (HKHS) projects in different districts can altogether provide around 500 units at the moment. Moreover, Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun and Runway 1331 at Kai Tak can provide a supply of around 900 units.
As of this morning, a total of 516 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, and 568 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3 513 residents are currently living in transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau, units from the HKHS, or Po Tin Interim Housing in Tuen Mun.
Relief supplies and donations
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The supplies donation online platform, established by the Government and the information technology sector, continues to operate, facilitating the registration of supplies donations from organisations and the public. The Government has so far received over 2 000 registrations, of which approximately 30 per cent were submitted by organisations, whereas the others were contributed by the public. The various registered donation items include food and beverages, clothing, daily necessities, bedding, and electrical appliances. The Government is actively assessing residents' actual needs through the relevant policy bureau, government departments, and service organisations for the matching of donated supplies in order to distribute appropriate items in phases to places in need. So far, over 45 000 donation items covering various categories have been distributed to different places. The matching and distribution of supplies will continue.
Investigation and regulation
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The Fire Services Department (FSD) announced on December 16 that it has stepped up inspections and encouraged industry to inspect fire service installations and equipment (FSIs). In response to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, the department has maintained close collaboration with relevant property management organisations and stepped up inspections of FSIs in buildings since December 4, with a view to enhancing building fire safety. To address public concerns regarding the performance of building fire alarms, stakeholders have agreed to promote voluntary fire alarm testing to safeguard public safety.
In addition, the FSD has redeployed manpower internally to enhance inspections of FSIs in buildings, particularly those undergoing major maintenance, and has proactively inspected the functional status of fire alarms. Should any non-compliance be identified, the department will conduct thorough investigations and decisively take enforcement actions. At the same time, the department has redeployed personnel to promptly follow up on reports of abnormal operation of FSIs in buildings and will take appropriate enforcement actions accordingly.
The FSD earlier held a meeting with the Association of Registered Fire Service Installation Contractors of Hong Kong to discuss the proper arrangements for FSIs during major renovation works. In fact, the FSD Circular Letter No. 1/2021 has already stipulated that when carrying out the works, the contractor concerned should adopt a systematic approach in shutting down the affected FSI by phases and resume its normal operation as soon as practicable. If the affected portion of the system could not be reinstated to normal working condition by the end of a working shift, arrangements should be made for the portion to be isolated with the remainder of the system to be reinstated. The trade expressed its full support and indicated its willingness to implement the relevant measures in accordance with the statutory requirements and guidelines. In response to a commentary published by a media outlet which does not fully reflect the facts, the FSD made a clarification today to set the record straight.
Ends/Monday, December 22, 2025
Issued at HKT 22:15
Issued at HKT 22:15
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