A devastating fire at a nursing home in Chengde city, Hebei province, northeast China, has resulted in the tragic loss of 20 lives, as reported by local state media. The incident occurred on Tuesday night and took firefighters approximately two hours to extinguish the flames.
Survivors and ongoing investigations
Nineteen individuals managed to survive the blaze and were promptly transported to nearby hospitals for medical observation. In the aftermath of this catastrophic event, authorities have initiated an investigation to determine the cause of the fire, leading to the detention of the individual responsible for overseeing the nursing home. So far, details surrounding the circumstances of the blaze remain scarce.
Public reaction and context
The incident has sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with many users calling for a comprehensive investigation while others have expressed their condolences for the elderly victims. One user on Weibo poignantly remarked,
“Old people already have mobility issues. I can’t imagine how desperate they must have felt during the fire.”
As China faces the challenges of an increasingly aging population, the number of nursing homes and elderly care facilities has significantly increased, doubling from 2019 to 2024. This tragic fire echoes a similar incident in 2023, where 29 individuals, many of whom were elderly, lost their lives when a fire broke out in a private hospital in Beijing, raising further concerns about safety standards in facilities catering to vulnerable populations.