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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to extensive renovations—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that construction site netting used around the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 people have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, among them the senior figures of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these loopholes are plucked," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—that propagated rapidly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it ignited, and required more than 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

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

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have reported they did not hear a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. Hong Kong's fire service found that detection devices in every tower were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended construction activities on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Separately, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on charges related to sedition on Saturday. He was among a collective calling for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An online petition collected over 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.

A pair of additional persons, comprising a past council member, were also questioned by authorities, per press accounts.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Another watchdog have both condemned the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the tragic incident...rather than muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, based on a recent official survey.

Nearly 40% of its inhabitants are estimated to be at least 65 years old. Several have resided in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record claimed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 people perished.