Nursing Home Fire in Northern China Claims 20 Lives

  • A fire erupted at a nursing home at 9 pm on Tuesday.
  • By the early hours of Wednesday, 20 fatalities were confirmed.
  • Surviving residents were transferred to nearby hospitals for medical care.

A tragic fire at a nursing home in northern China has resulted in the deaths of at least 20 people, according to a report by the Chinese news agency Xinhua on Wednesday. Details surrounding the incident remain limited.

Xinhua reported that the fire broke out at approximately 9:00 pm on Tuesday at the nursing home located in Longhua County, which is situated about 180 kilometers northeast of Beijing.

The news agency further stated that by 3:00 am on Wednesday, the death toll had reached 20.

According to Xinhua, “Other elderly people in the nursing home have been transferred to nearby hospitals for further observation and treatment,”

The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

Fires with deadly consequences are not uncommon in China, often attributed to relaxed enforcement of building codes and a careless approach to safety standards in workplaces.

In January, a fire in a vegetable market in Zhangjiakou city, located northwest of Beijing, resulted in eight deaths and 15 injuries.

Prior to that, a fire at a construction site in Rongcheng city, in eastern China, claimed the lives of nine individuals.