Hong Kong government refuses to extend buy-back deadline for fire-ravaged estate

Hong Kong's deputy financial secretary, Michael Wong, said the government will not extend the August 31 deadline for homeowners at Wang Fuk Court to accept a buy-back offer, and warned that later compensation under statutory mechanisms would be substantially lower. About 100 owners, or 5% of the estate, have yet to accept the offer. The fire last December killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents.

EXPANDED:

The December blaze at Wang Fuk Court ranks among Hong Kong's deadliest residential fires in recent decades, claiming 168 lives and displacing roughly 5,000 residents. The government's buy-back scheme offers homeowners between HK$8,000 and HK$10,500 per square foot depending on unit type, with acceptance letters due by August 31.

Wong cautioned that statutory acquisition for holdout properties would calculate compensation at post-fire market value, which he described