On April 29 of last year at 12:25 p.m., a major fire accident occurred at a restaurant in the Baita District of Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, resulting in 22 deaths and 3 injuries. Nearly 11 months after the accident, on March 17, the official cause of the fire was finally announced.
According to Wang Tianrui, the deputy director of the Fire Supervision Department and spokesperson of the Chinese National Fire Rescue Bureau, during a regular press conference on March 17, the small restaurant was located on the ground floor of a residential building with a two-story structure and an area of less than 300 square meters. However, in broad daylight, it led to the unfortunate deaths of 22 dining customers. The direct cause was a customer smoking at the restaurant’s entrance and carelessly discarding the “cigarette butt” which sparked the tragedy.
It was reported that beneath the ventilation duct at the entrance of the small restaurant was a small warehouse filled with combustible materials such as cardboard boxes. There was a gap between the door of the warehouse and the ground, and on that day, a “sixth-grade gale” happened to blow the unburned cigarette butt into the warehouse, triggering the fire.
Additionally, the outer wall where the entrance to the restaurant was located illegally used non-fire-resistant aluminum plastic panels. The rapid combustion of these panels blocked the restaurant’s main door and windows. Combined with the substandard insulating materials on the external walls, this accelerated the spread of the fire, leaving trapped individuals with very little time to escape.
Following the fire, the restaurant staff focused solely on extinguishing the fire outside the entrance, neglecting to promptly notify the upstairs diners to evacuate, causing those on the second floor to miss the optimal escape window. Moreover, there was only one indoor staircase leading directly to the second floor inside the restaurant. Once the fire sealed off the staircase on the first floor, those on the second floor had no means of escape.
Despite having an automatic alarm and sprinkler system, these systems had been dysfunctional for decades. The spokesperson mentioned, “Property management companies and regulatory authorities had reported and studied the issue multiple times, but it was not effectively resolved until the accident occurred.”
After the disclosure of the fire’s cause, netizens expressed outrage, with comments such as, “Goodness, couldn’t that man have stepped on the cigarette butt to put out the fire? This is simply murder.” “It’s truly incomprehensible! The victims have suffered terribly. Punish the perpetrators severely.” “The boss also failed in management; the ventilation outlet shouldn’t have been filled with debris. The hazard was already planted when the items were placed there!” “How should responsibility be divided? For the employee who dumped waste, the boss, the smoker, how much responsibility lies with each?” “Fire safety inspections bear significant responsibility. How did they pass with their fire safety qualifications?”
Prior Report:
Before May Day – Sudden Fire Breaks Out in Liaoning Restaurant, Claims at Least 22 Lives and Leaves 3 Injured