Fire Kills 119 At A Poultry Plant In Jilin Province China

At least 119 people were killed in a fire that swallowed a poultry plant in Jilin Province, China. Many others were hospitalized for inhaling poisonous gases and suffering different degrees of burn injuries. The fire followed three explosions that was said to be caused by an ammonia leak. This is one of China’s worst recent industrial disasters, the death toll only short of the mining cave-in that killed 281 people in September of 2008.

When the fire broke out around 6 a.m. in the morning, there were about 350 workers present at the plant. Some people were able to find their way outside after the plant went dark from the explosion. Survivors of the blaze said that it was difficult to escape because only one side door to the plant was left open while other exits were locked.

The disaster brought China’s poor workplace safety standards back into the spotlight. Many netizens have expressed anger at Jilin Baoyuanfeng Poultry Company, the owner of the plant.

One person posted on Weibo, the Chinese version of Twitter: “Actually, the fire that happened at Jilin is likely an accident caused by negligence of safety and duty. Compared to the business owners who fail to install protective devices to save money, or even those who disassemble preexisting protective equipment to increase efficiency … these business owners (the owners of Baoyuanfeng) are truly monster, they do not even leave bones after they devour their employees!”

Others were more skeptical.

“Normally even a car crash will take days before the police come to any conclusion, the case usually labeled as “currently under investigation.” And yet in such a big case the death toll was revealed so swiftly and arson was immediately ruled out, one cannot help but wonder if this is a cover up.”

This is the third major fire disaster since the beginning of the month, meaning, there’s been one everyday since June 1st. First, a large granary was set ablaze in Hei Longjiang Province, then a tank explosion happened in Liaoning Province, and today, the poultry plant in Jilin Province burned down. Coincidentally, all three fires took place in Northeast China.