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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 tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, most of the 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 installed on the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, comprising the directors of a contractor.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. Yes, we have identified failures in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to make certain all these deficiencies are plucked," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the end of the week, approximately two days after it started, and took over 2,000 firefighters to contain.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the probe could take approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have stated they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze started. Local firefighters found that alarms in every tower were operating inadequately.

The relevant regulatory body has halted for now works on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, police reportedly detained a young man on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was among a group demanding an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive gathered more than 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its information was removed.

A pair of additional persons, including a former district councillor, were also detained by officers, as reported by news outlets.

Global Response

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

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the reasons of the tragic incident...rather than muzzling those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was built in the early 1980s and had supplied close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 residents, according to a population count.

Nearly 40% of its inhabitants are estimated to be at least 65 years of age. Several have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

The city's second-worst blaze on file killed 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 individuals lost their lives.