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Hong Kong's leader, 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 Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, most of the residential blocks at the housing complex—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that construction site netting used around the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, including the executives of a contractor.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, the fire was immense. Yes, we need reform. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these loopholes are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—which spread quickly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and took more than 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the inquiry could take approximately a month.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have reported they failed to hear a smoke detector when the incident started. Local firefighters found that warning systems in all eight blocks were operating inadequately.

The relevant regulatory body has put on hold renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a collective petitioning for an separate review into the fire. An internet-based appeal collected in excess of 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, comprising a ex-local representative, were also taken in by officers, as reported by local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both condemned the reported arrests.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to transparently investigate the causes of the devastating fire...as opposed to muzzling those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was built in 1983 and had supplied 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 occupants, per a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are estimated to be at least 65 years of age. Some have lived in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on in history claimed 176 people in the mid-20th century and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when over 600 individuals died.