Almost three months after the massive blaze spread across seven apartment buildings in Wang Fuk Court, its former occupants have been living in uncertainty about when they would find somewhere they could call home again.
Many of them are adjusting to new lives in their temporary homes scattered across various districts, with the government offering rental grants to help homeowners pay for the short-term accommodation.
Officials said in a news conference on Saturday that homeowners of the seven buildings can sell their ownership rights for cash to secure accommodation of their choice or buy an apartment under a designated government policy.
Residents who prefer not to deal with a large amount of cash can directly exchange an apartment under the policy.
The government estimated that buying back the rights of some 1700 units would cost about $HK6.8 billion ($A1.2 billion), with about four billion Hong Kong dollars of that sum to be from public funds and the rest to be covered by a relief fund.
Michael Wong, the city's deputy financial secretary, said the administration was inclined to dismantle the seven buildings and would not redevelop residential homes on the fire site.
It could be transformed into a park or community facilities instead.
Wong said there was no reasonable or cost-effective way to repair the damaged buildings, and if the government did not intervene, it would be hard for homeowners to find buyers in the market.
"In other words, the funds they have invested in these units over the years could turn to nothing," he said.
The government aimed to contact the homeowners in March and hoped to pay the owners in the third quarter of 2026, he said.
The proposals came after affected residents were surveyed about their preferences.
The blaze killed 168 people on November 26, 2025, and has shattered a close-knit community in the suburban district of Tai Po.
Authorities blamed substandard scaffold netting and foam boards used in a maintenance project for rapidly spreading the fire.
Although some arrests were made, an independent committee is still investigating the cause.
