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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an separate inquiry panel to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, the majority of the apartment buildings at the estate—which was subject to significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

No fewer than 13 individuals have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, among them the directors of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. Hence we must take decisive action to make certain all these loopholes are addressed," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it ignited, and took more than 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.

That very day, authorities started accessing the buildings to secure proof. Officials state the probe could last three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

A number of occupants have reported they did not hear a emergency siren when the incident erupted. The city's fire department discovered that detection devices in all eight blocks were operating inadequately.

The relevant regulatory body has temporarily suspended construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was part of a collective demanding an autonomous investigation into the fire. An internet-based appeal collected more than 10,000 supporters in under 24 hours before its information was removed.

Another two individuals, among them a past council member, were also taken in by police, according to local media reports.

Global Response

Amnesty International and The monitoring body have both denounced the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to openly examine the causes of the devastating fire...as opposed to silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was constructed in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 occupants, per a population count.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are believed to be over 65 years of age. A number have lived in the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on in history killed 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 attendees died.