13 children dead in a school dormitory fire, 39 in a shop fire, 15 in an appartement building. Xi Jinping calls for resolute action. China has seen a series of tragic fires. 13 children died in a fire in the private Yingcai nursery and primary school, Yanshanpu village, near Nanyang, Hunan province, 20th January. At least 39 people died in a fire which started in the basement of a shop in Xinyu, Jianxi province, 24th January. 15 people died and more than 40 were injured in a fire which damaged several floors of a block of flats in Nanjing, North-West of Shanghai, 23rd February, possibly starting in an e-bike store (not confirmed). 26 people died and over 60 were taken to hospital from a fire in an office building, Luliang City, Shanxi province, 23rd November 2023. 29 died in a fire in the Changfeng Hospital in Fengtai district, Beijing, probably started when a spark from renovation work ignited paint, 18th April 2023. China’s President, Xi Jinping, is cited as calling for “deep reflection” on efforts to “curb the frequent occurrence” of such incidents, and has demanded authorities safeguard lives and properties and enact “resolute containment” of fire deaths.
“China: 13 dead after school dormitory fire in Henan province”, BBC, 20 January 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68038976
“Xinyu: Dozens dead after fire breaks out in China shop”, BBC, 24 January 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-68082908
“China: 15 dead and dozens more injured in Nanjing flat fire”, BBC, 24 February 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-68390274
“China: 26 dead and scores in hospital after Shanxi building fire”, BBC, 16 November 2024 https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-67435673
“A hospital fire killed 29 in Beijing, but residents were kept in the dark for hours”, CNN, 19 April 2023 https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/19/china/china-beijing-fire-censorship-intl-hnk/index.html
Photo Commons Wikimedia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqIdWwAg3FA https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145798714