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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to investigate the cause of a devastating fire that killed at least 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

This past Wednesday, the majority of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—which was subject to significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings failed to meet flame retardant standards.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, among them the directors of a building firm.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Yes, we need reform. Failures have been detected in different stages. That is exactly why we must act seriously to ensure that all these loopholes are addressed," he said.

Investigation and Aftermath

The fire—advancing with speed both vertically and across the separate towers—was finally put out by the morning of Friday, around 40 hours after it ignited, and took in excess of 2,000 firefighters to bring under control.

On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the inquiry could take several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Multiple inhabitants have said they failed to hear a emergency siren when the incident broke out. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in every tower were operating inadequately.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended construction activities on 30 private projects.

Demands for Probe and Detentions

Separately, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on charges related to subversion on the weekend. He was part of a collective petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the fire. An digital signature drive amassed over 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, including a ex-local representative, were also taken in by police, according to press accounts.

International Reaction

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

"The moment has come for the Hong Kong authorities to openly examine the origins of the tragic incident...rather than suppressing those who ask legitimate questions," Amnesty International said.

Historical Context and Demographics

The housing estate was built in the early 1980s and had provided 1,984 apartments for around 4,600 inhabitants, based on a population count.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are believed to be older than 65 years of age. A number have been occupants of the public housing complex since its construction.

The city's second-deadliest fire on record claimed 176 people in 1948 and was the result of a detonation at street level at a multi-story storage facility. The deadliest was at Happy Valley Racecourse in 1918, when in excess of 600 people perished.