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The city's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an independent committee to probe the origins of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, among them the senior figures of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, the fire was immense. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in various phases. Hence we must act seriously to make certain all these gaps are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—that propagated rapidly both vertically and across the separate towers—was only fully doused by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it started, and required over 2,000 firefighters to contain.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the probe could take approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have stated they did not hear a fire alarm when the blaze broke out. Hong Kong's fire service found that alarms in all eight blocks were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has put on hold construction activities on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a individual on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was among a group demanding an independent inquiry into the blaze. An internet-based appeal collected over 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also questioned by police, according to press accounts.

International Reaction

The human rights organization and Human Rights Watch have both denounced the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the reasons of the tragic incident...as opposed to suppressing those who raise appropriate concerns," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The residential complex was built in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 residents, according to a population count.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are believed to be at least 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on in history took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people lost their lives.