A deadly nighttime blaze tore through a four-storey residential building in Shantou, a coastal city in China’s southern Guangdong province, killing 12 people, state media reported Wednesday.
The fire erupted around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday and was brought under control shortly after 10:00 p.m., according to the local fire department. Despite firefighters extinguishing the blaze within about 40 minutes, the speed and intensity of the fire left little time for escape.
Initial reports had confirmed eight fatalities, with four others taken to the hospital in critical condition. By Wednesday, state media agency Xinhua confirmed that all four injured victims had died, bringing the total death toll to 12.
A self-built structure, quickly overwhelmed
Authorities described the affected structure as “a four-storey self-built reinforced concrete building”, located in Shantou’s Chaonan District. The blaze consumed roughly 150 square metres (1,600 square feet) of the building, which housed both residential units and, reportedly, a ground-floor shop.
Investigators have not yet identified the cause of the fire. Officials said that “investigations into the cause of the fire and aftermath handling work are being conducted in an orderly manner.”
Tragedy follows Hong Kong’s catastrophic high-rise fire
The Shantou fire comes on the heels of a far more devastating disaster just a month earlier in Hong Kong, which borders Guangdong. In that incident, a ferocious blaze engulfed multiple high-rise residential towers, killing 160 people and raising urgent questions about fire safety across the region.
In response to the Hong Kong catastrophe, authorities across China launched a nationwide campaign targeting fire hazards in residential buildings—particularly in older structures, mixed-use properties, and self-built dwellings that may lack modern fire-prevention systems.
While details of the Shantou blaze remain under investigation, its rapid spread and high death toll underscore ongoing vulnerabilities in smaller residential buildings, especially in densely populated urban districts where construction standards and enforcement vary widely.
Growing scrutiny of safety in residential buildings
The Guangdong provincial government has formed a task force—including emergency-management officials, police, and fire-safety regulators—to oversee the investigation and manage the aftermath. The incident is expected to intensify public pressure for stricter inspections and stronger enforcement of building codes.
As communities across southern China mourn the latest tragedy, the Shantou fire adds fresh urgency to the nationwide push for fire-safety reforms—before another preventable disaster strikes.
Source: AFP
