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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that protective netting installed on the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, comprising the executives of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Yes, we have identified failures in multiple areas. Hence we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these deficiencies are plucked," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it ignited, and required more than 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

The same day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the probe could require three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have reported they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. Local firefighters discovered that alarms in each building were malfunctioning.

The relevant regulatory body has put on hold renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on allegations of subversion on Saturday. He was part of a group calling for an autonomous investigation into the fire. An internet-based appeal gathered more than 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Two other people, among them a ex-local representative, were also detained by authorities, per news outlets.

International Reaction

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

"Now is the time for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was constructed in the early 1980s and had supplied nearly two thousand flats for around 4,600 residents, according to a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its occupants are thought to be older than 65 years old. Some have lived in the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 individuals in 1948 and was the result of a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 attendees perished.