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The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, comprising the directors of a contractor.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must act seriously to guarantee all these deficiencies are eliminated," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—which spread quickly both upwards and from building to building—was not completely extinguished by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it began, and took more than 2,000 fire service personnel to contain.

That very day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the investigation could require approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have said they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the fire started. Local firefighters found that alarms in every tower were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, police reportedly detained a 24-year-old man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was among a group calling for an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An digital signature drive amassed in excess of 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, comprising a past council member, were also detained by authorities, according to press accounts.

International Reaction

The human rights organization and The monitoring body have both condemned the reported arrests.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to openly examine the origins of the tragic incident...rather than suppressing those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had supplied nearly two thousand flats for approximately 4,600 residents, per a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are believed to be at least 65 years old. A number have resided in the public housing complex from its inception.

The city's second-most fatal incident on file claimed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was the result of a blast on the lower level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at a sporting venue in 1918, when in excess of 600 attendees lost their lives.