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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the Wang Fuk Court—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—went up in flames. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, comprising the senior figures of a construction company.

"It is a terrible tragedy, the fire was immense. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in various phases. That is exactly why we must respond rigorously to guarantee all these deficiencies are plucked," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—which spread quickly both upwards and between the blocks—was finally put out by Friday morning, around 40 hours after it ignited, and took in excess of 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.

On that day, authorities started accessing the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the investigation could require several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

A number of occupants have said they did not hear a smoke detector when the blaze broke out. Hong Kong's fire service found that detection devices in all eight blocks were not working effectively.

Hong Kong's buildings department has temporarily suspended works on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, officers took into custody a young man on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was among a group calling for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An internet-based appeal amassed over 10,000 endorsements in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Two other people, comprising a ex-local representative, were also detained by officers, according to local media reports.

International Reaction

The rights group and The monitoring body have both criticised the alleged detentions.

"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the reasons of the tragic incident...instead of silencing those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was constructed in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 inhabitants, based on a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its residents are thought to be over 65 years of age. Some have resided in the government-supported development since it was built.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record took 176 lives in 1948 and was the result of a blast on the lower level at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in 1918, when in excess of 600 individuals perished.