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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to extensive renovations—were consumed by a blaze. Authorities later discovered that construction site netting installed on the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.

No fewer than 13 individuals have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, including the senior figures of a construction company.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Reform is necessary. Yes, we have identified failures in various phases. This is precisely the reason we must take decisive action to ensure that all these gaps are addressed," stated the leader.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The fire—advancing with speed both upwards and across the separate towers—was finally put out by Friday morning, approximately two days after it started, and took over 2,000 emergency responders to contain.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the probe could take three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have reported they were not alerted by a emergency siren when the blaze started. Local firefighters found that detection devices in each building were operating inadequately.

The relevant regulatory body has put on hold renovation projects on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, officers took into custody a young man on allegations of subversion on the weekend. He was involved with a collective petitioning for an separate review into the fire. An online petition collected more than 10,000 supporters in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Two other people, comprising a former district councillor, were also taken in by police, according to local media reports.

Global Response

The human rights organization and Another watchdog have both denounced the said apprehensions.

"Now is the time for the city's officials to transparently investigate the causes of the catastrophic blaze...instead of muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was built in the early 1980s and had provided nearly two thousand flats for around 4,600 residents, based on a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are believed to be at least 65 years old. Some have lived in the government-supported development since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on file took 176 people in 1948 and was caused by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The worst was at a local racetrack in 1918, when more than 600 people perished.