There was a sharp increase in the number of fires reported in
the first week of the
Spring Festival this year but there was also a sharp decrease
in the number of deaths, injuries and damage to property.
About 13,000 fires were recorded nationwide from January 28 to
February 4, a rise of 15.5 percent over the same period last year,
the Ministry of Public Security announced yesterday in Beijing.
A total of 63 people were killed and 47 injured in the fires,
down 41.1 percent and 11.3 percent respectively from last year. The
incidence of direct damage reduced by half.
The ministry's spokesperson Wu Heping said the increase in the
number of fires was to be expected because the ban on fireworks was
lifted this year in more than 200 cities. The ban was imposed 12
years ago.
"The lifting of the ban might have been a boon to traditional
Chinese customs but it also put huge pressure on our fire
departments," Wu said.
The most serious incident took place at a temple fair in
Linzhou, central China's
Henan Province, on January 29.
Burning firecrackers were thrown into a company's warehouse
packed with fireworks, with the resulting devastating explosion
killing 36 revelers and injuring a further 48.
Police have arrested four employees of the Lilin Firecracker
Company, who are suspected of illegally buying and storing
fireworks.
Pyrotechnics were banned in about 300 cities after 1988 for
safety reasons, although firecrackers are believed to scare away
evil spirits and attract the god of wealth to doorsteps, especially
during Spring Festival.
(China Daily February 8, 2006)