The government on Thursday announced the living allowance for households affected by the deadly Tai Po fire will be doubled to HK$100,000 each.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak said officials decided to bump up the initial amount of HK$50,000 to better address the needs of Wang Fuk Court residents.

"We understand that residents require all sorts of assistance. Especially as winter approaches and it's getting cold, residents need to purchase some clothes, along with other necessities," she said.

Mak said more than 300 households have already received the initial amount and will be offered the extra HK$50,000, whereas those that have yet to get the subsidy will be handed HK$100,000 in one go.

As for a HK$10,000 emergency fund, she said all but one of the 1,930 registered households have received the subsidy.

Authorities also vowed to take care of the housing needs of those affected.

"Whether it is short-term accommodation or long-term housing in the future, the government will take care of it and no fees will be charged during this interim period," Mak said.

"The chief executive has directed the task force led by the deputy financial secretary to look into the issue of long-term housing for [affected] residents."

The government also revealed that public donations to a fund for victims of the blaze have reached HK$2.5 billion.

Along with the administration's initial HK$300 million injection, the total pot now stands at HK$2.8 billion.

More than 1,300 registrations have been made on an online platform designed for people to offer goods such as food, clothes, daily necessities and home appliances to victims of the fire, with the first batch of donations having reached those in need.

Members of the public can sign up and make donations on www.taipodonation.hk.