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Hong Kong's chief executive, John Lee, has mandated the establishment of an autonomous task force to probe the origins of a tragic inferno that killed at least 151 people.

A Fire of Historic Proportions

On Wednesday last week, most of the apartment buildings at the housing complex—that was in the midst of significant upgrades—were consumed by a blaze. Investigators have since found that protective netting installed on the buildings fell short of fire safety regulations.

A minimum of 13 suspects have been detained on suspicion of potential negligent homicide, among them the senior figures of a contractor.

"Yes, it is a tragedy, the fire was immense. Reform is necessary. Failures have been detected in different stages. This is precisely the reason we must act seriously to make certain all these loopholes are eliminated," stated the leader.

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, around 40 hours after it started, and took more than 2,000 firefighters to contain.

On that day, officers commenced entry into the buildings to secure proof. Officials state the investigation could take several weeks.

Shortcomings Uncovered

Several residents have stated they failed to hear a smoke detector when the fire started. Hong Kong's fire service determined that alarms in every tower were not working effectively.

The city's construction authority has put on hold works on numerous private sites.

Calls for Inquiry and Arrests

Additionally, officers took into custody a young man on charges related to subversion on the weekend. He was among a gathering demanding an autonomous investigation into the tragedy. An digital signature drive collected in excess of 10,000 endorsements in less than a day before its page was taken down.

Another two individuals, among them a former district councillor, were also taken in by authorities, as reported by news outlets.

International Reaction

Amnesty International and Another watchdog have both denounced the reported arrests.

"The moment has come for the city's officials to thoroughly and publicly probe the causes of the devastating fire...instead of suppressing those who pose valid inquiries," remarked the group.

Background and Resident Profile

The housing estate was constructed in the early 1980s and had supplied close to 2,000 units for approximately 4,600 residents, based on a population count.

Approximately 40 percent of its inhabitants are thought to be over 65 years of age. A number have lived in the public housing complex since it was built.

Hong Kong's second-most fatal incident on file claimed 176 lives in 1948 and was triggered 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 lost their lives.