2010 Shanghai fire

2010 Shanghai fire
Flames can be seen inside a tall brown-black building frame. Smoke surrounds the gutted structure while a single stream of water from the ground reaches midway up the building.
Firefighters were unable to extinguish the fire from the ground.
Date15 November 2010
Time14:15 CST (06:15 UTC)
LocationNo. 1, Alley 718 Jiaozhou Road, Jing'an District, Shanghai, China[1]
Coordinates31°14′15″N 121°26′06″E / 31.23750°N 121.43500°E / 31.23750; 121.43500[2]
Also known asChinese: 上海“11·15”特别重大火灾; lit. 'Shanghai '11·15' especially serious fire'
Deaths58[3][4] (36 missing)[citation needed]
Non-fatal injuries70[5]–120[6]

The 2010 Shanghai fire[Note 1] was a fire on 15 November 2010 that destroyed a 28-story high-rise apartment building in the heart of Shanghai, China, killing at least 58 people[3][4] and injuring more than 70 others[5] (with at least one source reporting more than 120 others injured).[6] Most of the residents were retired state school senior educators.[7] It is remembered as an iconic high-rise fire in China in the 2010s.[7]

An investigation under the PRC State Council was announced on 16 November, the day after the fire, to determine the cause of the blaze.[8] A preliminary finding by investigators concluded that sparks from welding work being done on the building, undertaken by unlicensed welders, ignited scaffolding around the structure, which led to the apartments' destruction.[9] The municipal government also placed the blame on illegal multi-layered subcontracting,[10] and detained four managers from several construction companies.[11] In all, sixteen[12] individuals have been arrested in connection to the fire, as well as four others accused of being unlicensed welders.[9]

The week after the fire, city officials announced a compensation plan for victims of the fire and their families.[13] The fire also prompted the government to pass stricter regulations on the construction industry,[14][15] as well as increased fire safety inspections.[16] The New York Times reported that China suppressed several building complaints,[17] and several journalists were detained after the fire. The Asia Times wrote that an alleged slow response by the government was criticized.[18]

  1. ^ Ni, Yinbin (22 November 2010). "City mourns victims of deadly apartment blaze". Shanghai Daily. Shanghai Daily Publishing House. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  2. ^ "At least 42 dead after downtown Shanghai apartment block blaze". Xinhua. Xinhua News Agency. 16 November 2010. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
  3. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Compensation was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference xinhua1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ a b Barboza, David (24 December 2010). "China Detains Officials Over Shanghai Fire". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 10 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  6. ^ a b 上海市政府召开"11·15"特别重大火灾新闻发布会通报. China National Radio (in Chinese). Central People's Broadcasting Station. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 17 November 2010.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Southern Weekly was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference xinhua4 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference wsj0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference PD blame was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference CD blame was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ Xinhua (24 December 2010). "3 more detained over Shanghai high-rise fire". China Internet Information Center. China.org.cn. Archived from the original on 21 January 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eastday comp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference Eastday crackdown was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference Xinhua regulations was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bloomberg comp was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference NYTcensor was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference atimes1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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