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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an independent committee to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to extensive renovations—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that construction site netting used around the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 people have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to ensure that all these gaps are eliminated," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—that propagated rapidly both vertically and from building to building—was not completely extinguished by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it began, and took more than 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the probe could require three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have stated they did not hear a fire alarm when the fire broke out. The city's fire department determined that warning systems in every tower were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has put on hold renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on suspicion of incitement on the weekend. He was involved with a collective calling for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An online petition gathered over 10,000 supporters in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, among them a past council member, were also questioned by police, per press accounts.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Another watchdog have both condemned the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the reasons of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was completed in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 occupants, according to a population count.

Nearly 40% of its inhabitants are thought to be over 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

The city's second-worst blaze on file killed 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when over 600 individuals perished.