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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a tragic inferno that claimed the lives of 151 individuals.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, seven of eight tower blocks at the estate—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 people have been taken into custody over potential negligent homicide, among them the executives of a building firm.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, the fire was immense. Yes, we need reform. Failures have been detected in various phases. Hence we must take decisive action to make certain all these gaps are eliminated," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—advancing with speed both vertically and between the blocks—was only fully doused by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it started, and required more than 2,000 fire service personnel to subdue.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the inquiry could require approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have stated they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the fire started. Local firefighters found that detection devices in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The relevant regulatory body has halted for now renovation projects on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, police reportedly detained a individual on allegations of incitement on the weekend. He was part of a collective petitioning for an independent inquiry into the tragedy. An internet-based appeal gathered more than 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, including a past council member, were also questioned by police, according to news outlets.

Global Response

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

"Now is the time for the local government to transparently investigate the causes of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to silencing those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was built in 1983 and had offered 1,984 apartments for some 4,600 inhabitants, according to a 2021 government census.

Nearly 40% of its residents are thought to be over 65 years of age. Several have lived in the public housing complex from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on in history killed 176 lives in 1948 and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when more than 600 people lost their lives.