A catastrophic fire erupted in a busy shopping mall in Zigong, a city in southwestern China, on the evening of July 17, 2024. The inferno, which originated in a 14-story commercial building, led to the loss of 16 lives.
Firefighters and rescue teams were quick on the scene, successfully rescuing 75 individuals. Preliminary investigations suggest that the fire might have been triggered by construction work, but this is yet to be confirmed.
The fire started just past 6 p.m. in the vibrant mall, which is home to a department store, offices, eateries, and a cinema. State media reports indicate that the fire rapidly consumed the lower floors of the building, resulting in thick black smoke pouring out from the windows and cloaking the entire structure.
The frightening spectacle was documented on social media, with videos showing towering flames reaching towards the sky while firefighters tackled the fire using water hoses and drones.
Li Wanyu, a resident who had been shopping in the mall’s underground grocery store when the fire erupted, shared her experience. “At first, I thought it was just a drill when the staff started evacuating us,” she said. “I didn’t realize what was happening right away. I felt confused rather than scared and exited the building with everyone else.”
Despite the tireless efforts of firefighters and rescue teams to control the blaze and evacuate individuals trapped within the building, it took nearly 10 hours to fully extinguish the fire. A local news outlet reported that 75 people were rescued during the operations.
The fire incident in Zigong indicates an alarming trend of increasing fire incidents in China. According to Li Wanfeng, a spokesperson for the National Fire and Rescue Administration, fire-related fatalities in the first few months of this year have seen a 19% rise compared to the previous year. “Fires in public areas like hotels and restaurants have increased by 40%, primarily caused by electrical or gas line malfunctions and negligence,” Li noted.
Earlier this year, a fire ignited by unauthorized welding in a commercial building’s basement in Jiangxi province claimed 39 lives. In February, another fire in a residential building in Nanjing, caused by an electric bike in an attached car park, resulted in the death of 15 individuals.
Fire safety remains a major concern in China, with systemic issues contributing to the problem. Factors such as ineffective and corrupt inspection offices, powerful property managers overlooking safety violations, and the pressure to sustain rapid economic growth often undermine fire safety regulations. The Fire Control Law of the People’s Republic of China, amended in 1998 to provide more detailed guidelines on inspections and enforcement, continues to lack measures for effective implementation at local and provincial levels.
Despite government efforts to enhance fire safety, including the incorporation of fire control plans into urban planning, rigorous fire control design review and approval for construction projects, and mandatory fire safety checks for public venues before opening, these measures have failed to curb the increasing number of fire incidents.
