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Hong Kong's leader, 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 Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, seven of eight residential blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

At least 13 suspects have been arrested for potential negligent homicide, among them the executives of a construction company.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in various phases. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are plucked," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and from building to building—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it started, and necessitated over 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the inquiry could take approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has put on hold works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on allegations of incitement on the weekend. He was involved with a collective demanding an autonomous investigation into the fire. An online petition amassed in excess of 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also questioned by authorities, according to press accounts.

Global Response

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

"Now is the time for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...instead of suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 occupants, according to a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are estimated to be over 65 years of age. A number have resided in the government-supported development from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on file killed 176 people in 1948 and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 individuals lost their lives.