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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an separate inquiry panel to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

On Wednesday last week, seven of eight apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that protective netting used around the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 people have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the senior figures of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must act seriously to guarantee all these loopholes are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—that propagated rapidly both upwards and from building to building—was not completely extinguished by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it ignited, and required over 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the inquiry could take several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have said they failed to hear a fire alarm when the blaze started. Hong Kong's fire service determined that detection devices in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has put on hold renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a individual on allegations of sedition on the weekend. He was among a collective demanding an independent inquiry into the tragedy. An digital signature drive gathered over 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

A pair of additional persons, among them a ex-local representative, were also taken in by authorities, as reported by news outlets.

International Reaction

The human rights organization and Human Rights Watch have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the city's officials to openly examine the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in 1983 and had provided close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 occupants, based on a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are estimated to be older than 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the government-supported development since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on in history took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 attendees died.