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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation 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

This past Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the estate—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that protective netting installed on the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

At least 13 individuals have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to make certain all these gaps are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and across the separate towers—was not completely extinguished by the end of the week, around 40 hours after it ignited, and required more than 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the probe could require approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

A number of occupants have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze erupted. The city's fire department discovered that detection devices in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a gathering petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An online petition amassed more than 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its information was removed.

Another two individuals, including a ex-local representative, were also taken in by police, per news outlets.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Another watchdog have both condemned the said apprehensions.

"This is the occasion for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who raise appropriate concerns," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

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

Almost four in ten of its residents are thought to be older than 65 years of age. A number have lived in the government-supported development since it was built.

The city's second-most fatal incident on in history claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The most deadly was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people died.