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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the residential blocks at the housing complex—which was subject to significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 people have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a construction company.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to make certain all these loopholes are plucked," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—that propagated rapidly both vertically and from building to building—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it started, and necessitated over 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the investigation could require approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have stated they failed to hear a emergency siren when the incident broke out. Hong Kong's fire service found that alarms in each building were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has halted for now works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on charges related to subversion on Saturday. He was among a collective petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An online petition collected more than 10,000 signatures in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

A pair of additional persons, including a ex-local representative, were also detained by officers, according to press accounts.

International Reaction

The rights group and Human Rights Watch have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the local government to openly examine the origins of the catastrophic blaze...instead of silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was constructed in the early 1980s and had provided nearly two thousand flats for approximately 4,600 inhabitants, according to a recent official survey.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are thought to be at least 65 years old. Some have been occupants of the government-supported development since it was built.

The city's second-worst blaze on file took 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when more than 600 attendees lost their lives.