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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, seven of eight tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that construction site netting installed on the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, among them the executives of a contractor.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Yes, we have identified failures in various phases. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—advancing with speed both upwards and between the blocks—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it started, and required in excess of 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the investigation could require approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the incident broke out. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that alarms in each building were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has temporarily suspended construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on charges related to sedition on Saturday. He was involved with a gathering petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An online petition collected over 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its information was removed.

A pair of additional persons, comprising a former district councillor, were also detained by officers, as reported by press accounts.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and The monitoring body have both criticised the reported arrests.

"This is the occasion for the local government to transparently investigate the causes of the tragic incident...as opposed to muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was constructed in the early 1980s and had offered nearly two thousand flats for around 4,600 occupants, based on a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are thought to be older than 65 years of age. Several have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when in excess of 600 people perished.