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The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the estate—which was subject to major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

At least 13 people have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, including the executives of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, the fire was immense. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are plucked," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—that propagated rapidly both vertically and from building to building—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, approximately two days after it began, and required more than 2,000 firefighters to contain.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the inquiry could last approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

A number of occupants have said they did not hear a smoke detector when the blaze started. Hong Kong's fire service found that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The relevant regulatory body has put on hold works on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Additionally, officers took into custody a young man on suspicion of sedition on the weekend. He was among a group petitioning for an separate review into the tragedy. An digital signature drive gathered over 10,000 supporters in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, comprising a ex-local representative, were also taken in by authorities, per press accounts.

Global Response

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both denounced the said apprehensions.

"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the devastating fire...rather than suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, per a 2021 government census.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are estimated to be at least 65 years old. Some have resided in the subsidised housing estate since it was built.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record took 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The worst was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 individuals died.