On the afternoon of September 3, a restaurant under renovation in Haikou City, Hainan Province, caught fire, resulting in the death of six people and injuries to three others.
Witnesses captured videos of the scene on September 3 afternoon, showing thick smoke billowing from the fire site. A sign at the restaurant entrance read “Under Renovation,” and the fire broke out in the storefront facing the street.
The owner of a neighboring restaurant adjacent to the burning location told reporters that the Yexiangyuan Restaurant, where the fire occurred, had been undergoing renovation for nearly a month with workers frequently on site. Due to the fire incident, her restaurant had to close for the day to cooperate with the relevant investigations.
Local residents mentioned that the storefront was previously a popular dining spot that was recently leased out. Contact was made with the owner of the former restaurant, Mr. Li, who mentioned rushing to the scene upon hearing about the fire and witnessing injured individuals being taken away.
According to Mr. Li, the three adjoining storefronts were all single-story buildings with spacious interiors covering over 1000 square meters. He had rented the space for more than seven years before moving out recently. Just over a month ago, the storefront was leased to a new owner who had invested significantly in its renovation, using elaborate ceiling decorations and large advertising signs at the entrance.
Mr. Li noted, “I saw workers welding the frame of the signboard at noon today and never expected a fire to break out in the afternoon.”
Another witness, the owner of a nearby car shop, mentioned noticing smoke coming from the adjacent restaurant around 2 p.m., alerting his colleagues to move their vehicles and items from the warehouse as a precaution. Despite attempting to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher, the blaze escalated rapidly, making it impossible to approach the burning site.
Recalling the recent renovations at the restaurant, the car shop owner described its long and low-roofed structure, which, coupled with the prevailing wind direction, fueled the flames spreading rapidly inside. He also recalled seeing a person on the roof during the fire and expressed concern for their safety as they did not come toward their side of the building.
Videos provided by the car shop owner revealed the devastating impact of the fire, with the restaurant’s front sign reduced to a metal frame, several electric bicycles outside destroyed by the flames, and intense fire visible inside the building.
On the afternoon of September 3, the Haikou City Fire Rescue Bureau issued a statement announcing that the fire at the Yexiangyuan Restaurant, located on the east side of Xiuying Avenue in Haikou, erupted at 2:45 p.m. and was extinguished by 3:23 p.m. After three rounds of search and rescue operations, the fire claimed the lives of six individuals, while three others sustained injuries, with stable vital signs reported. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.