HONG KONG — Hong Kong’s leader announced today the creation of a judge-led “independent committee” to investigate the devastating fire at an apartment complex that killed 151 people last week.

Authorities have said the blaze, which was the city’s worst fire in decades, spread quickly via netting used on exterior scaffolding that fell short of fire-resistance standards and failed to stop flames from spreading.

“I will establish an independent committee to conduct comprehensive and in-depth review to reform the building work system and prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future,” the city’s leader John Lee told a news conference in English, adding that the committee would be led by a judge.

Hong Kong has a legal mechanism to set up “commissions of inquiry”, which in the past were usually led by judges to undertake complex fact-finding exercises—a practice left over from British colonial rule.

Lee used a different term, “independent committee”, on Tuesday.

Lee told AFP that authorities had identified several failures, and that reforms would be needed in safety, supervision, construction and maintenance standards.

“We must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are plugged so that those who are responsible will be accountable. The shortcomings will be addressed. The bottlenecks will be addressed,” he said.