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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, seven of eight tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that construction site netting installed on the buildings failed to meet requirements for fire resistance.

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

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to make certain all these deficiencies are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and between the blocks—was not completely extinguished by the end of the week, approximately two days after it began, and required in excess of 2,000 emergency responders to subdue.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the inquiry could last several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

A number of occupants have reported they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the fire broke out. Local firefighters discovered that warning systems in each building were malfunctioning.

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

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Additionally, police reportedly detained a young man on suspicion of subversion on the weekend. He was among a collective demanding an separate review into the fire. An online petition amassed in excess of 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its information was removed.

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

Global Response

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

"Now is the time for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the tragic incident...as opposed to suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was completed in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 occupants, per a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are thought to be older than 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when over 600 individuals lost their lives.