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

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 people have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, including the directors of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, the fire was immense. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in various phases. Hence we must take decisive action to make certain all these loopholes are addressed," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—which spread quickly both vertically and from building to building—was finally put out by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it ignited, and took over 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to secure proof. The government indicates the inquiry could require several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have said they did not hear a smoke detector when the fire started. The city's fire department discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

The city's construction authority has put on hold works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, police reportedly detained a young man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was among a gathering demanding an separate review into the blaze. An digital signature drive amassed in excess of 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also questioned by authorities, according to news outlets.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both denounced the reported arrests.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the causes of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was constructed in the early 1980s and had offered close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 inhabitants, according to a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are thought to be older than 65 years of age. Several have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a blast on the lower level at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 people died.