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The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to investigate the cause of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the estate—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

No fewer than 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, comprising the directors of a construction company.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are eliminated," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—which spread quickly both vertically and across the separate towers—was finally put out by the end of the week, approximately two days after it started, and took more than 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

That very day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the investigation could take three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have said they did not hear a fire alarm when the fire erupted. Hong Kong's fire service determined that detection devices in each building were operating inadequately.

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

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on suspicion of subversion on the weekend. He was part of a group demanding an separate review into the fire. An online petition collected more than 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Two other people, including a former district councillor, were also detained by officers, according to local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and The monitoring body have both criticised the said apprehensions.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the tragic incident...rather than silencing those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was constructed in the early 1980s and had offered close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 inhabitants, per a recent official survey.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are estimated to be over 65 years old. Some have resided in the government-supported development from its inception.

The city's second-worst blaze on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when over 600 people died.