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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to investigate the cause of a tragic inferno that took a minimum of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, seven of eight tower blocks at the housing complex—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that protective netting surrounding the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of suspected manslaughter, among them the senior figures of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. 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.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—that propagated rapidly both upwards and between the blocks—was not completely extinguished by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it began, and required in excess of 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the inquiry could require several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have said they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the incident started. Hong Kong's fire service found that warning systems 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, police reportedly detained a young man on charges related to incitement on Saturday. He was among a collective petitioning for an separate review into the tragedy. An online petition amassed more than 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its information was removed.

A pair of additional persons, comprising a ex-local representative, were also taken in by officers, per news outlets.

International Reaction

The rights group and The monitoring body have both denounced the reported arrests.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to openly examine the reasons of the tragic incident...instead of silencing those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was completed in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 residents, per a population count.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are thought to be older than 65 years of age. Some have lived in the subsidised housing estate since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on record killed 176 people in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when more than 600 people died.