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The city's leader, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

Last Wednesday, the majority of the tower blocks at the estate—which was subject to major refurbishment—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that construction site netting installed on the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.

No fewer than 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the senior figures of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. We have uncovered shortcomings in various phases. Hence we must act seriously to make certain all these gaps are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—that propagated rapidly both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it started, and necessitated over 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the investigation could take several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the blaze erupted. Local firefighters discovered that alarms in every tower were malfunctioning.

The relevant regulatory body has put on hold works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, officers took into custody a young man on charges related to sedition on the weekend. He was part of a group petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An digital signature drive collected over 10,000 signatures in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, including a ex-local representative, were also questioned by officers, per local media reports.

International Reaction

The rights group and Another watchdog have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to transparently investigate the reasons of the devastating fire...rather than muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in the early 1980s and had supplied 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 occupants, based on a population count.

Nearly 40% of its residents are thought to be over 65 years old. Some have lived in the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 individuals died.