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The city's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to extensive renovations—were consumed by a blaze. A probe subsequently revealed that protective netting surrounding the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.

No fewer than 13 people have been taken into custody over alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a construction company.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to make certain all these deficiencies are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—advancing with speed both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it began, and required more than 2,000 firefighters to contain.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the inquiry could take three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have reported they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the fire broke out. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that alarms in every tower were not working effectively.

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

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on allegations of subversion on Saturday. He was among a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive collected in excess of 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its information was removed.

A pair of additional persons, including a past council member, were also detained by officers, per local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both condemned the said apprehensions.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the origins of the tragic incident...instead of suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was built in 1983 and had provided close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 inhabitants, based on a recent official survey.

Approximately 40 percent of its occupants are estimated to be older than 65 years old. Some have resided in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on file took 176 individuals in 1948 and was triggered by a blast on the lower level at a commercial building. The worst was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when over 600 people died.