A commercial fire in Xinyu, Jiangxi Province, China, resulted in 48 casualties. Authorities explained that the fire was caused by workers illegally using fire during construction of a refrigerated warehouse on the first basement floor of the building.
According to China’s official Xinhua News Agency on the 25th, a fire broke out in a commercial building in Yushui District, Xinyu City, Jiangxi Province, around 3 p.m. the previous day. 39 people died and 9 were injured in this accident.
The building where the fire occurred was a six-story residential-commercial complex, and the fire broke out on the first basement floor, where refrigerated warehouse construction was in progress. Workers used fire illegally here, and as the fire spread, they were unable to extinguish it in time.
In this fire, smoke entered the second floor, and many students and guests who were receiving training at a community college for the university’s main exam on that floor, which houses an educational institution and a hotel, suffered damage.
After receiving the report, the fire brigade arrived at the scene of the accident and conducted rescue operations, and the authorities arrested 12 people responsible for this fire in accordance with the law.
Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a statement and ordered, “To ensure the safety of people’s lives and property and overall social stability, we must resolutely suppress the frequent occurrence of various safety accidents.”
In relation to this accident, Jiangxi Province also recommended that external educational institutions other than schools temporarily suspend operations.
AFP pointed out that fires and other fatal accidents frequently occur in China due to lax safety standards and poor law enforcement.
On the 20th, a fire broke out in a school dormitory in the central province of Henan, killing 13 people.
Also, in November last year, a fire broke out in a coal company building in Shaanxi Province, killing 26 people and injuring 38 others.
The month before, an explosion occurred at a barbecue restaurant in northwest China, killing 31 people.
(Beijing = News 1)
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.