People living near the burnt ruins of a historic inner Sydney building have been told they could be waiting several more days to return home.
More than 100 people were displaced on Thursday when fire ravaged two buildings in Surry Hills, including the heritage-listed former RC Henderson hat factory.
With century-old walls cracked and threatening to collapse, police have cordoned off Randle Street and Randle Lane.
Edina Solomon has been staying in a hotel since the night of the blaze and is uncertain when she will be allowed to return.
"We heard from other tenants that it could be probably up to maybe Wednesday or Thursday," Ms Solomon said.
On Sunday, police escorted residents to their buildings in small groups, giving them about 10 minutes to pick up clothes, medications and other essential belongings.
With power cut to some buildings, residents have taken the opportunity to discard spoiled food from their fridges.
Lesley Gao is staying with her in-laws and has heard it could be a few days to a week before she can move back home.
"We're very fortunate that we're okay, we're safe, we have a place to live," she said.
"But there are some inconveniences, like I need to change, I need a proper shower."
Authorities have not given a timeline on when residents can return home, but said they were "moving as as quickly as we can".
They have also confirmed the fire is completely out and a wall which had moved 75mm was "staying still'.
NSW Fire and Rescue Duty Commander Jeremy Hood said firefighters were still determining how much of the buildings needed to be demolished to declare the area safe.
"We're still monitoring it, we've been flying drones over the building," he said.
"We consult engineers and then we will demolish it to the safe level.
"We're hoping to resolve this in the next 48 hours, but we're still unsure."
Photographs obtained by the ABC show the inside of the former ladies hat factory in March.
Graffiti covers the walls, rubbish litters the floors and an empty pizza box has been left on a table near a couch.
Police said two of 15 homeless people believed to have been sleeping in the building the night before the fire have not been accounted for.
A 12-year-old boy and two 13-year-old boys are assisting detectives with their investigation into the cause of the fire.
Police have asked for others who had been inside the building to come forward.
