FUSHUN, China – Chinese firefighters risked their lives to transfer blazing liquefied gas cylinders from a building on fire on Feb 6.
These firefighters carried out their task of putting out the fire despite intense heat and risk of an imminent explosion.
The Fushun Fire Rescue Detachment received an alarm about several stores catching fire. The incident occurred at night in the Dongfuping Road Market in the city of Fushun in the south Chinese province of Liaoning.
“Two water guns were immediately ordered. It was positioned in such a manner that it could reduce or stop the spread of fire,” said Lu Pin, commander of the Fushun Fire Rescue Detachment. “The special service officers were instructed to demolish the sliding door to enter the burning building.”
There were three fire trucks equipped with water tanks and 15 firefighting officials. As soon as the firefighters got the news of several stores burning, they rushed to the spot. One of the stores was a breakfast shop that made fried dough noodles.
The breakfast shop stored steel cylinders of liquefied petroleum gas which is regarded as an extremely flammable mixture of hydrocarbon gases. This gas is often used as fuel for cooking.
After the successful demolition, a fire hose was used to create a safe passage. Lu Pin began to transfer the liquefied gas cylinders outside the burning shop, to a safe distance.
The video footage shows that Lu Pin transferring four burning gas cylinders to a safer place. One of the firemen is seen spraying water through pipes, to blow off the fire. Photographers are seen capturing the moment.
The liquefied petroleum gas was in a state of full pressure, with flames bursting from the containers. Later, Lu Pin and his firefighter colleagues did not hesitate to transfer the rest two burning cylinders.
The fire was completely extinguished in 40 minutes. There were no casualties reported.
An investigation of the scene was conducted using leakage detectors and thermal imaging cameras but the cause of the fire could not be established.
A firefighter faces such challenges, namely to perform physically demanding work in low oxygen and in critically hot conditions, maneuver with heavy gear in unfamiliar conditions, work quickly in instability, etc.
The distribution of population, the spatial organization of cities in China, and the rate of development, collectively present unique challenges to Chinese firefighters and disaster responders, says a report.
The unbalanced development and unsustainable urban life have greatly increased the risks of disaster in countries like China, states a study.
“Between 1981 and 1990, the average number of fire incidents was about 38,000 while average direct loss in fire was about 360 million Yuan,” says another report. “Between 1991 and 2000, the average number of fire incidents was about 89,000 while average fire direct loss was about 1,160 million Yuan.”
The number of fire incidents and direct loss in fire increased 134.2 percent and 222.2 percent, respectively, when compared with those in the past 10 years.
(Edited by Bornika Das and Shirish Vishnu Shinde.)
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