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The city's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the residential blocks at the housing complex—which was subject to significant upgrades—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

No fewer than 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, among them the executives of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in various phases. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to guarantee all these gaps are addressed," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—which spread quickly both vertically and between the blocks—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it started, and took over 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the probe could require approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have said they did not hear a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in every tower were operating inadequately.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now construction activities on numerous private sites.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Separately, police reportedly detained a young man on suspicion of incitement on the weekend. He was involved with a collective calling for an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An digital signature drive gathered more than 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also taken in by authorities, as reported by press accounts.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Another watchdog have both denounced the reported arrests.

"The moment has come for the local government to openly examine the reasons of the devastating fire...as opposed to muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was constructed in 1983 and had offered close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 residents, per a recent official survey.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are thought to be at least 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the public housing complex since its construction.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record claimed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was the result of a ground-floor explosion at a commercial building. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people perished.