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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the housing complex—that was in the midst of major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

At least 13 people have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a building firm.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in different stages. Hence we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these gaps are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both upwards and across the separate towers—was not completely extinguished by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it began, and took over 2,000 fire service personnel to subdue.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the investigation could last three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have reported they did not hear a emergency siren when the incident started. The city's fire department discovered that detection devices in every tower were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, officers took into custody a young man on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was involved with a group demanding an independent inquiry into the tragedy. An online petition gathered more than 10,000 supporters in under 24 hours before its information was removed.

Two other people, comprising a past council member, were also taken in by authorities, per news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Another watchdog have both denounced 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 pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

Wang Fuk Court was completed in 1983 and had provided nearly two thousand flats for approximately 4,600 inhabitants, according to a 2021 government census.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are thought to be older than 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

The city's second-worst blaze on file claimed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was the result of a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when more than 600 attendees died.