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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that claimed the lives of 151 people.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the tower blocks at the housing complex—which was subject to significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that protective netting surrounding the buildings failed to meet fire safety regulations.

At least 13 suspects have been arrested for alleged culpable homicide, including the senior figures of a construction company.

"It is a terrible tragedy, it is a major blaze. Reform is necessary. We have uncovered shortcomings in multiple areas. That is exactly why we must take decisive action to ensure that all these loopholes are addressed," remarked Mr. Lee.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The inferno—that propagated rapidly both upwards and from building to building—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, approximately two days after it ignited, and required in excess of 2,000 emergency responders to bring under control.

On that day, police began entering the buildings to collect forensic material. Authorities say the inquiry could take several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have reported they failed to hear a emergency siren when the incident erupted. Hong Kong's fire service found that warning systems in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

The city's construction authority has temporarily suspended works on three dozen private developments.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, officers took into custody a young man on allegations of incitement on Saturday. He was involved with a group calling for an autonomous investigation into the fire. An digital signature drive collected over 10,000 supporters in under 24 hours before its contents were wiped.

Another two individuals, comprising a past council member, were also questioned by police, per news outlets.

International Reaction

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

"This is the occasion for the city's officials to openly examine the origins of the catastrophic blaze...instead of silencing those who raise appropriate concerns," Amnesty International said.

Background and Resident Profile

The residential complex was constructed in the early 1980s and had provided close to 2,000 units for some 4,600 inhabitants, per a 2021 government census.

Nearly 40% of its occupants are estimated to be at least 65 years old. Some have lived in the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on file claimed 176 individuals in the mid-20th century and was caused by a ground-floor explosion at a multi-story storage facility. The most deadly was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when in excess of 600 individuals died.