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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 tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, the majority of the tower blocks at the housing complex—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with requirements for fire resistance.

A minimum of 13 people have been taken into custody over potential negligent homicide, comprising the executives of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to make certain all these deficiencies are addressed," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The inferno—which spread quickly both vertically and from building to building—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, some 40 hours after it ignited, and took more than 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.

The same day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. Authorities say the investigation could last several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the blaze erupted. Local firefighters determined that warning systems in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold construction activities on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Separately, officers took into custody a individual on allegations of sedition on the weekend. He was involved with a group petitioning for an independent inquiry into the tragedy. An online petition gathered over 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its page was taken down.

A pair of additional persons, comprising a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, per news outlets.

International Reaction

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

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the origins of the tragic incident...as opposed to muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was constructed in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 inhabitants, based on a population count.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are believed to be at least 65 years old. A number have lived in the subsidised housing estate since it was built.

The city's second-most fatal incident on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 attendees died.