The Chinese government has ordered a tightening up of fire precautions and fire safety management following the Shanghai tower block fire which has so far claimed 53 lives.
According to official media sources, China’s State Council (the country’s ‘cabinet’) “ordered extensive campaigns to inspect and remove fire hazards and to educate the public about fire control, as well as strict implementation of the accountability system for fire accidents”.
Besides those directly responsible for serious fire accidents, local government chiefs would also be held accountable, the statement added.
In the meantime, eight people have been detained in connection with the blaze, with initial investigations pointing to unlicensed welders working on the building.
More than 70 people were injured in the fire, with 17 said to be in a critical condition, and 36 people still missing, reports BBC News.
The tragedy has provoked a high level of public criticism and a degree of aparent official openness about the country’s fire safety procedures. The Shanghai municipal government’s website spoke of a growing frustration among relatives seeking answers to how such a tragedy, which occurred during work to clad the block in insulating material, could have happened.
"The drills on TV are successful, but when a fire really happens, it’s just useless one woman, whose mother lived on the ninth floor and died in the fire was quoted as saying. "There must be something illegal in the materials, though we don’t know. I am waiting for the government’s explanation.”
Chen Fei, director of the Shanghai Fire Control Bureau, said sparks from improperly used welders’ tools ignited flammable materials – including bamboo scaffolding and boards and nylon netting – around the tenth floor of the 28-storey building.
Around 1,300 firefighters and 122 fire engines tackled the blaze on Monday.
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