Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk said on Thursday that residents of the seven blocks affected by the Wang Fuk Court fire will be allowed to return to their homes to collect personal belongings as early as late April, with details to be announced next month.

This came after media reports said hundreds of residents had signed an open letter expressing their wish to go back.

In an exclusive interview with RTHK, Cheuk said they will be going home in batches, and that authorities need about two months to make preparations.

"The operation to let them go home and have a look must be conducted in a safe manner," he said.

"There are still many safety hazards, for example there's still scaffolding hanging outside, inside the flats there are places with serious damage, say the ceilings, the floors and the walls."

Cheuk described the operation as difficult and large in scale, as it involves some 1,700 households.

He said as the elevators in the seven blocks affected by the fire are out of operation, he recommended that residents only take valuable and important belongings with them.

"They may have to make choices when they collect their belongings. I guess valuables and the things with more sentimental value, those are easier to take away," Cheuk said.

"But it has to be a suitable amount. Because in a flat there can be a lot of things – say some electrical appliances. Under such difficult conditions at the scene, you can't take them away."

As some of the residents are elderly people living on higher floors, Cheuk said authorities plan to send workers to take footage of the flats beforehand.

That way, he said, residents can decide whether to go up themselves or ask relatives and friends to do so instead.

Cheuk went on to say that as residents might get emotional when they are home, police officers, social workers and psychologists will make the climb with them to ensure their safety.

Residents will also be given protective gloves, he said, as there could be debris in the way.

As to whether residents of the seven blocks would only be allowed to return home once, Cheuk said the government will strike a balance between satisfying their needs and the large amount of public resources needed for such an operation.


Edited by Aaron Tam