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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

At least 13 people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, including the senior figures of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. We have uncovered shortcomings in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to guarantee all these deficiencies are addressed," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and from building to building—was finally put out by Friday morning, approximately two days after it ignited, and required over 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

That very day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the probe could last three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have said they failed to hear a smoke detector when the blaze started. The city's fire department discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has halted for now construction activities on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on charges related to incitement on the weekend. He was involved with a collective demanding an autonomous investigation into the fire. An online petition gathered over 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, per news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Human Rights Watch have both denounced the alleged detentions.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to transparently investigate the reasons of the devastating fire...as opposed to muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 inhabitants, according to a population count.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are thought to be at least 65 years old. Several have resided in the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

The city's second-deadliest fire on file took 176 people in the mid-20th century and was caused by a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 individuals lost their lives.