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Hong Kong's leader, John Lee, has directed the formation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that killed at least 151 residents.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

Last Wednesday, most of the apartment buildings at the Wang Fuk Court—which was subject to major refurbishment—were consumed by a blaze. A probe subsequently revealed that protective netting installed on the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.

No fewer than 13 people have been taken into custody over potential negligent homicide, comprising the executives of a building firm.

"This is indeed a tragedy, the fire was immense. Yes, we need reform. Yes, we have identified failures in different stages. Hence we must respond rigorously to make certain all these deficiencies are eliminated," he said.

The Probe and Its Consequences

The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and across the separate towers—was finally put out by the end of the week, some 40 hours after it started, and necessitated more than 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

The same day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to collect forensic material. Officials state the inquiry could take several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Multiple inhabitants have reported they were not alerted by a smoke detector when the blaze erupted. The city's fire department determined that warning systems in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

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

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, officers took into custody a young man on charges related to sedition on Saturday. He was involved with a collective petitioning for an autonomous investigation into the blaze. An digital signature drive amassed in excess of 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, including a former district councillor, were also taken in by officers, as reported by local media reports.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have both denounced the said apprehensions.

"Now is the time for the local government to openly examine the reasons of the catastrophic blaze...as opposed to silencing those who ask legitimate questions," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

The residential complex was completed in 1983 and had supplied 1,984 apartments for approximately 4,600 occupants, according to a population count.

Almost four in ten of its inhabitants are estimated to be at least 65 years of age. Several have been occupants of the government-supported development since it was built.

The city's second-deadliest fire on in history took 176 lives in the mid-20th century and was triggered by a detonation at street level at a commercial building. The most deadly was at Happy Valley Racecourse in the early 1900s, when over 600 attendees lost their lives.