The blaze at Wang Fuk Court in the city's northern Tai Po district last week killed at least 159 people and displaced thousands more.

It was partly blamed on netting installed during estate-wide renovations that failed to meet standards for fire resistance.

Hong Kong's Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said on Wednesday that netting had been installed at more than 200 buildings undergoing major renovations.

They must come down by Saturday for quality testing, she said.

Construction workers at multiple sites in the Chinese finance hub worked Thursday to remove green mesh wrapped around buildings, AFP reporters saw.

Hong Kong leader John Lee earlier said the fire reflected "significant lapses in the building works from construction to supervision".

Authorities halted work at 28 private construction projects managed by the contractor involved in the fire.