A fire broke out in a self-built house in Xingning City, Meizhou, Guangdong Province in the early hours of March 14, resulting in the deaths of three people and injuring two others.
According to the Emergency Management Bureau of Xingning City, Meizhou, Guangdong, around 2:50 am on March 14, a self-built house in Shuikou Town, Xingning City, caught fire. Rescue personnel made full efforts to search and rescue, managing to save 5 trapped individuals on the scene. Unfortunately, three of them died despite being taken to the hospital for treatment, while two others sustained injuries.
The report stated that the visible flames were completely extinguished at 4:01 am on the same day.
Upon preliminary investigation, the building that caught fire was a four-story reinforced concrete structure with an area of approximately 150 square meters. Currently, the cause of the accident is under further investigation.
The firefighting department pointed out that self-built houses often lack adequate fire protection infrastructure and fire design. Once a fire occurs, the flames and toxic smoke can quickly spread throughout the entire building, posing a high risk of casualties.
In recent years, there have been several fire incidents in self-built houses in various locations. For instance, on May 12, 2025, at 12:05 am, a fire broke out in a self-built house in Fuyuan County, Qujing City, Yunnan, resulting in the deaths of 5 people. Investigations revealed that the fire was caused by a short circuit in the electrical wiring above the kitchen mezzanine, igniting surrounding combustible materials and spreading rapidly.
In February 2024, a fire broke out in a self-built house in a rural area of Chengdu, Sichuan, causing the death of an elderly person. The fire was ignited by the careless use of a natural gas fireplace, which led to the ignition of surrounding combustible materials.
The firefighting department reminds residents to proactively learn about fire safety knowledge, enhance fire prevention awareness, follow regulations for using electrical appliances and gas equipment, strictly prohibit storing flammable and explosive materials in violation of rules, strengthen safety education for children, avoid using open flames, and reduce the risk of fires.