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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—that was in the midst of extensive renovations—went up in flames. A probe subsequently revealed that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings fell short of requirements for fire resistance.

No fewer than 13 people have been arrested for potential negligent homicide, among them the directors of a construction company.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Changes are required. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to ensure that all these deficiencies are eliminated," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and between the blocks—was only fully doused by Friday morning, some 40 hours after it ignited, and took more than 2,000 fire service personnel to contain.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the investigation could take three to four weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have reported they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the fire started. Local firefighters determined that detection devices in all eight blocks were operating inadequately.

Hong Kong's buildings department has put on hold works on three dozen private developments.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, authorities are said to have arrested a young man on suspicion of incitement on Saturday. He was among a collective calling for an independent inquiry into the fire. An digital signature drive collected in excess of 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its information was removed.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, per news outlets.

Global Response

Amnesty International and The monitoring body have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"This is the occasion for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the origins of the devastating fire...instead of suppressing those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was completed in 1983 and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, per a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are estimated to be over 65 years of age. Several have resided in the government-supported development from its inception.

The city's second-most fatal incident on file killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in 1918, when over 600 attendees lost their lives.