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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an autonomous task force to investigate the cause of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, most of the residential blocks at the housing complex—which was subject to major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

No fewer than 13 people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, including the directors of a building firm.

"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must act seriously to make certain all these loopholes are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and from building to building—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it started, and took over 2,000 fire service personnel to subdue.

On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the probe could take three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have stated they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the blaze started. The city's fire department discovered that detection devices in every tower were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now construction activities on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a collective demanding an autonomous investigation into the fire. An online petition amassed over 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also questioned by authorities, per press accounts.

Global Response

The human rights organization and The monitoring body have both condemned the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to transparently investigate the reasons of the tragic incident...as opposed to silencing those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in 1983 and had provided close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 residents, per a recent official survey.

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

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record claimed 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was the result of a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when more than 600 attendees died.