At least 20 people were killed in a nursing home fire at Chengde in the northern province of Hebei on Tuesday night, according to Chinese state media reports.
The fire broke out at around 9pm on Tuesday at the home in a seniors’ residential complex in Chengde’s Longhua county. As of 3am on Wednesday, there were 20 confirmed fatalities, state news agency Xinhua said.
Hebei police said the person in charge of the nursing home has been detained for investigation. Local and provincial authorities have also sent dedicated teams to comfort the families of the deceased and wounded.
In a social media post on Tuesday night, China’s emergency management ministry urged nursing homes across the country to strictly follow the government’s fire safety regulations for nursing homes, released in July 2023.
“Because most elderly people are less mobile, fires at nursing homes often cause more casualties,” it warned.
China’s fire safety regulations require nursing homes to only be established in buildings with proper firefighting equipment. They must also appoint dedicated fire wardens and have at least one warden on duty at all times.
