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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, seven of eight tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that construction site netting surrounding the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

At least 13 people have been arrested for potential negligent homicide, comprising the directors of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. Hence we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these gaps are eliminated," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both upwards and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it started, and required in excess of 2,000 firefighters to contain.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the investigation could last approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have said they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the blaze erupted. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in every tower were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, officers took into custody a individual on allegations of sedition on the weekend. He was involved with a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the blaze. An online petition gathered in excess of 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a past council member, were also detained by authorities, per news outlets.

International Reaction

The rights group and The monitoring body have both condemned the reported arrests.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the reasons of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

Wang Fuk Court was completed in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 occupants, according to a 2021 government census.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are estimated to be over 65 years old. Some have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people died.