In a residential building in a community in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, five households on different floors experienced consecutive fires, attracting attention.
According to the Zhejiang Fire Department, recently, Ms. Xiao, who lives on the 14th floor of a residential building in a community in Jiaxing, while trying to put her child to sleep, suddenly smelled a burnt odor. Upon opening the door, she found the living room filled with smoke and sparks drifting around. Realizing the seriousness of the situation, Ms. Xiao immediately called the police.
Community staff on patrol also noticed the anomaly and used a fire extinguisher to put out the sparks.
It was later speculated that the first item to catch fire in Ms. Xiao’s home was the bedding and clothes hanging on the balcony. In addition, the glass window on the balcony cracked due to the high temperature.
However, further investigation at the scene revealed that more than just Ms. Xiao’s family were affected. The bedding and clothes hung by residents on the 16th, 15th, 12th, and 8th floors also suffered varying degrees of damage.
A preliminary investigation found that the cause of the fire was a cigarette butt thrown from a high place landing directly on the bedding hung to dry. As the burning particles fell, the fire gradually spread.
According to relevant laws in mainland China, individuals who cause damage to others by throwing objects from or dropping objects off buildings are held liable for the damage.
If a fire caused by negligence does not constitute a crime, the individual may face detention for a period of not less than ten days but not exceeding fifteen days, and may also be fined up to five hundred yuan; for less severe cases, a warning or a fine of up to five hundred yuan may be imposed.