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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that protective netting surrounding the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, comprising the executives of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. Hence we must act seriously to guarantee all these deficiencies are eliminated," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—which spread quickly both vertically and from building to building—was only fully doused by the end of the week, around 40 hours after it ignited, and took in excess of 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

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

Shortcomings Uncovered

A number of occupants have stated they did not hear a emergency siren when the incident erupted. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in each building were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has halted for now works on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, police reportedly detained a individual on charges related to incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a group calling for an independent inquiry into the blaze. An digital signature drive amassed more than 10,000 endorsements in a very short time before its information was removed.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by authorities, as reported by news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Another watchdog have both criticised the reported arrests.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to openly examine the reasons of the devastating fire...instead of muzzling those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was completed in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 inhabitants, based on a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are thought to be older than 65 years old. Some have resided in the public housing complex since its construction.

The city's second-worst blaze on record took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was the result of a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a sporting venue in 1918, when over 600 people perished.