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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the housing complex—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

At least 13 individuals have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, including the executives of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Yes, we have identified failures in multiple areas. Hence we must respond rigorously to guarantee all these gaps are plucked," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—which spread quickly both upwards and between the blocks—was not completely extinguished by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it started, and required over 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to secure proof. Authorities say the investigation could require several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the blaze broke out. The city's fire department determined that alarms in each building were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of incitement on the weekend. He was part of a gathering demanding an independent inquiry into the blaze. An online petition gathered in excess of 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its information was removed.

Another two individuals, among them a ex-local representative, were also taken in by officers, per news outlets.

Global Response

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

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the causes of the tragic incident...instead of silencing those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

Wang Fuk Court was built in the early 1980s and had supplied 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 occupants, per a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are believed to be older than 65 years old. Some have resided in the public housing complex from its inception.

The city's second-most fatal incident on file took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when more than 600 people lost their lives.