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The city's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an separate inquiry panel to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which had been undergoing extensive renovations—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been arrested for potential negligent homicide, including the executives of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in various phases. Hence we must take decisive action to ensure that all these deficiencies are eliminated," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and across the separate towers—was not completely extinguished by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it ignited, and took more than 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the probe could last several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have stated they did not hear a emergency siren when the blaze erupted. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that warning systems in every tower were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has halted for now construction activities on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Additionally, officers took into custody a 24-year-old man on allegations of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a collective demanding an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An internet-based appeal gathered over 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, including a past council member, were also detained by authorities, as reported by news outlets.

Global Response

The rights group and Another watchdog have both criticised the reported arrests.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was constructed in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, per a population count.

Nearly 40% of its inhabitants are thought to be at least 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on file took 176 individuals in 1948 and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 individuals died.