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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, comprising the senior figures of a construction company.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Reform is necessary. We have uncovered shortcomings in different stages. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to make certain all these deficiencies are plucked," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—advancing with speed both upwards and from building to building—was not completely extinguished by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and required over 2,000 firefighters to contain.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to secure proof. The government indicates the inquiry could require several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

A number of occupants have reported they did not hear a smoke detector when the incident started. The city's fire department discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

The relevant regulatory body has temporarily suspended renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on allegations of sedition on Saturday. He was involved with a collective demanding an separate review into the blaze. An online petition amassed more than 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its page was taken down.

A pair of additional persons, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, according to press accounts.

Global Response

The rights group and The monitoring body have both condemned the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the reasons of the devastating fire...rather than silencing those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was constructed in the early 1980s and had offered 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 inhabitants, per a 2021 government census.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are believed to be at least 65 years old. Several have lived in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on record claimed 176 people in 1948 and was the result of a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 individuals lost their lives.