Deputy Chief Secretary Warner Cheuk on Monday said that the first day in which people could return to their fire-damaged units at Wang Fuk Court was orderly and largely seamless.

Speaking to reporters, Cheuk said 264 people made the trip back to their former abodes in Wang Sun House – the first block in the estate to be reopened.

He said residents stayed in their units for an average of a little under two hours, and some were able to make multiple trips.

The shortest visit lasted 14 minutes, Cheuk said, while the longest one took three hours and 25 minutes. About 20 percent of households spent less than an hour inside the building.

Five months ago, a devastating inferno tore through most of the estate, claiming 168 lives.

Looking ahead, Cheuk said additional arrangements for future visits have been made in case of bad weather.

"We have indeed considered the possibility of more rainy weather in the coming days, so, for the area where residents don safety equipment, we will make two types of adjustments – or you could say improvements."

He explained that the area will be expanded with more tables and chairs to ease crowding. Tents will also be added to provide shelter in case of rain.

Meanwhile, Tai Po District Commander Kong Wing-cheung said police received 11 requests for assistance from residents who suspected belongings, including computers, jewellery and gold ornaments, might have been lost.

"Police immediately dispatched officers to conduct searches. In four of these cases, the force successfully helped locate the missing items," he said.

"In another four cases, the damage to the units was relatively severe. After investigation, the residents also believed that their belongings might have been destroyed by the fire."

Police are actively following up on the remaining three cases.

Residents of Wang Cheong, Wang Yan and Wang Tao houses are next, while Wang Tai, Wang Kin and Wang Shing blocks will be the last to open.


Edited by Aaron Tam