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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a devastating fire that claimed the lives of 151 individuals.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, seven of eight apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that protective netting installed on the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 people have been arrested for suspected manslaughter, including the executives of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. Hence we must act seriously to ensure that all these deficiencies are eliminated," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—advancing with speed both upwards and between the blocks—was finally put out by the end of the week, approximately two days after it ignited, and required more than 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the inquiry could last several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have reported they failed to hear a emergency siren when the blaze erupted. Hong Kong's fire service discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has halted for now renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on allegations of subversion on Saturday. He was part of a collective calling for an separate review 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 ex-local representative, were also taken in by police, according to local media reports.

Global Response

Amnesty International and The monitoring body have both criticised the reported arrests.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to transparently investigate the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

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

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

The city's second-deadliest fire on record took 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a blast on the lower level at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 individuals lost their lives.