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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a devastating fire that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

On Wednesday last week, the majority of the apartment buildings at the estate—which had been undergoing major refurbishment—were engulfed by fire. Investigators have since found that safety scaffolding mesh used around the buildings did not comply with fire safety regulations.

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

"Yes, it is a tragedy, it is a big fire. Changes are required. Yes, we have identified failures in various phases. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to guarantee all these deficiencies are plucked," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—advancing with speed 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 fire service personnel to subdue.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to gather evidence. Officials state the investigation could take three to four weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have stated they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the blaze started. Local firefighters discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

Hong Kong's buildings department has halted for now renovation projects on 30 private projects.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, authorities are said to have arrested a 24-year-old man on charges related to subversion on the weekend. He was part of a gathering calling for an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An digital signature drive gathered in excess of 10,000 signatures in a very short time before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also detained by authorities, as reported by local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both condemned the alleged detentions.

"Now is the time for the Hong Kong authorities to thoroughly and publicly probe the reasons of the tragic incident...as opposed to silencing those who ask legitimate questions," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was built in 1983 and had supplied close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 residents, based on a population count.

Almost four in ten of its occupants are believed to be older than 65 years old. A number have lived in the subsidised housing estate from its inception.

Hong Kong's second-deadliest fire on in history killed 176 individuals in 1948 and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at a sporting venue in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 people died.