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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 devastating fire that killed at least 151 individuals.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

On Wednesday last week, seven of eight residential blocks at the housing complex—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh surrounding the buildings did not comply with flame retardant standards.

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

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are addressed," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—that propagated rapidly both vertically and from building to building—was only fully doused by the end of the week, around 40 hours after it ignited, and necessitated over 2,000 fire service personnel to bring under control.

The same day, authorities started accessing the buildings to collect forensic material. The government indicates the investigation could last approximately a month.

Systemic Failures Identified

A number of occupants have said they did not hear a smoke detector when the incident broke out. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in every tower were operating inadequately.

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

Demands for Probe and Detentions

In a related development, police reportedly detained a 24-year-old man on suspicion of sedition on Saturday. He was among a gathering petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An digital signature drive collected more than 10,000 supporters in a very short time before its page was taken down.

A pair of additional persons, comprising a past council member, were also detained by authorities, per local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both criticised the reported arrests.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to openly examine the reasons of the devastating fire...as opposed to suppressing those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

Wang Fuk Court was constructed in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for around 4,600 residents, according to a population count.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are believed to be older than 65 years old. Several have been occupants of the government-supported development since it was built.

The city's second-most fatal incident on record claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was triggered by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The worst was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when over 600 attendees lost their lives.