The Independent Committee in relation to the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po today (December 23) conducted a site visit to Wang Fuk Court to gain a better understanding of the actual environment and conditions of the estate; the causes and circumstances that led to the fire and its rapid spread; the fire service installations and equipment used in the buildings; the materials used in building maintenance and renovation works; and construction safety matters. The Fire Services Department, together with relevant departments, joined the site visit with the Independent Committee today and reported the progress of the Inter-departmental Fire Investigation Task Force.
 
     Moreover, the three task forces set up by the Government for the fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po - the Task Force on Investigation and Regulation, the Task Force on Emergency Support and Fund-Raising, and the Task Force on Emergency Accommodation Arrangements - are making full efforts to follow up on the support, relief, and investigation work related to the incident. Details are as follows:
 
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. 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 provides a $100,000 living allowance from the Support Fund to each affected household, while families of each deceased victim are provided with a token of solidarity of $200,000, as well as $50,000 to cover funeral costs. All verified cases have been processed so far. In addition, the Government earlier announced three new measures, providing flat owners at Wang Fuk Court with 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.
  
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 504 residents are staying in hotel rooms through the co-ordination of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, and 554 residents are staying in youth hostels/camps. Another 3 557 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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      Relevant policy bureaux and departments continue to follow up on the fire investigation and regulatory efforts.

Ends/Tuesday, December 23, 2025
Issued at HKT 20:32

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