Ensuring that all residents affected by the deadly fire in Tai Po are safely housed for the winter is Hong Kong’s top priority and, equally imperative, is determining the cause of the city’s deadliest blaze on record to prevent a similar tragedy, Financial Secretary Paul Chan Mo-po said in his Sunday blog.

“We’ll spare no effort in making post-incident arrangements and ensuring proper rehousing. Securing safe winter accommodation for the displaced residents is the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government’s most urgent task, with sustained, comprehensive support to follow throughout the transition period and beyond,” said Chan, who visited two transitional housing sites in Tai Po on Saturday.

Deputy Financial Secretary Michael Wong Wai-lun, who heads the task force on emergency accommodation arrangements, said on Sunday more than 1,500 residents left homeless have been rehoused free of charge. Two-thirds of them have moved into transitional housing units provided by the Housing Bureau and the Housing Society, while the others are being accommodated in hotels.

Wong highlighted the limitations of relying on hotels as emergency accommodation, noting that their commercial nature and lack of broader support services make them unsuitable for long-term needs.

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Transitional housing offers a more sustainable option, allowing residents to stay without the fear of sudden relocation and to access services provided by welfare groups -- from casework to psychological counseling -- he said.

To meet the short- and medium-term accommodation needs of the affected residents, the government has opened nine shelters which have been used by more than 700 residents at the peak. As of Saturday, over 40 have remained in two shelters, according to Wong.

He stressed that relocation will be voluntary, but the government is prepared to help anyone who opts to move into other facilities.

Chan said an inter-departmental fire investigation task force, inaugurated by the government on Saturday and led by the Fire Services Department, had it first meeting on Saturday and will “proceed at full steam”. The meeting had two main objectives -- to investigate the cause of the fire and how it spread, and determine the factors that led to the heavy casualties.

The finance chief shortened his overseas trip in Italy and returned to the SAR on Friday morning. He convened a special coordination meeting the same day with financial regulators to strengthen efforts in mobilizing banks, insurers and Mandatory Provident Fund trustees to offer timely assistance and to “ensure that service arrangements are flexible, considerate and people-centered”.

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The Hong Kong Monetary Authority and the Hong Kong Association of Banks jointly announced on Friday evening six emergency support measures by the banking industry after discussions with the city’s 28 retail banks.

Contact the writer at sophialuo@chinadailyhk.com