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The city's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 individuals.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to extensive renovations—went up in flames. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

No fewer than 13 people have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, including the directors of a contractor.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to guarantee all these deficiencies are eliminated," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it started, and required in excess of 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the probe could last approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze started. Hong Kong's fire service found that detection devices in each building were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold works on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on suspicion of incitement on the weekend. He was part of a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the blaze. An online petition collected over 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, including a former district councillor, were also questioned by officers, per local media reports.

International Reaction

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

"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to transparently investigate the reasons of the tragic incident...as opposed to silencing those who ask legitimate questions," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in the early 1980s and had offered close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 occupants, per a 2021 government census.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are estimated to be older than 65 years of age. Several have lived in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on file killed 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 attendees died.