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The city's chief executive, John Lee, has ordered the creation of an autonomous task force to examine the reasons of a catastrophic blaze that took a minimum of 151 individuals.

A Blaze of Unprecedented Scale

This past Wednesday, most of the apartment buildings at the estate—which had been undergoing significant upgrades—went up in flames. Authorities later discovered that safety scaffolding mesh installed on the buildings fell short of flame retardant standards.

At least 13 individuals have been detained on suspicion of alleged culpable homicide, including the directors of a contractor.

"This is indeed a tragedy, it is a major blaze. Changes are required. Failures have been detected in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must respond rigorously to make certain all these gaps are plucked," stated the leader.

Investigation and Aftermath

The blaze—advancing with speed both upwards and from building to building—was only fully doused by the morning of Friday, approximately two days after it started, and required over 2,000 firefighters to subdue.

That very day, police began entering the buildings to gather evidence. The government indicates the inquiry could last several weeks.

Systemic Failures Identified

Several residents have said they were not alerted by a fire alarm when the incident broke out. The city's fire department discovered that alarms in all eight blocks were malfunctioning.

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

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

In a related development, officers took into custody a individual on charges related to sedition on Saturday. He was among a group calling for an separate review into the fire. An digital signature drive collected in excess of 10,000 endorsements in a very short time before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also detained by authorities, according to press accounts.

Global Response

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

"Now is the time for the local government to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...instead of muzzling those who pose valid inquiries," stated the organization.

Historical Context and Demographics

Wang Fuk Court was completed in 1983 and had provided nearly two thousand flats for some 4,600 residents, per a 2021 government census.

Approximately 40 percent of its occupants are thought to be at least 65 years of age. Some have been occupants of the government-supported development since its construction.

Hong Kong's second-worst blaze on in history claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was caused by a detonation at street level at a five-storey warehouse. The deadliest was at a local racetrack in the early 1900s, when over 600 individuals perished.