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The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an independent committee to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, most of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to extensive renovations—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

At least 13 suspects have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. Yes, we have identified failures in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to guarantee all these gaps are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—that propagated rapidly both upwards and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it ignited, and necessitated in excess of 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

That very day, authorities started accessing the buildings to secure proof. Officials state the probe could last three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

A number of occupants have stated they failed to hear a smoke detector when the fire broke out. Local firefighters found that alarms in each building were not working effectively.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold renovation projects on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, officers took into custody a individual on suspicion of sedition on the weekend. He was among a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive amassed over 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also detained by authorities, according to news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Another watchdog have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...as opposed to silencing those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was completed in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 inhabitants, according to a 2021 government census.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are believed to be over 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record killed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was caused by a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a local racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 attendees died.