Fire breaks out at chemical plant in northern China: People’s Daily

SINGAPORE — The People’s Daily, the official newspaper of the Chinese Communist Party, reported that a blast occurred at a chemical plant in the northern Chinese city of Shijiazhuang, in Hebei province late yesterday night (Nov 24).

According to the tweet from The People’s Daily at 11.10pm, fire fighters were arriving at the scene.

As at this time, TODAY is unable to confirm the report.

However, an amateur video purportedly depicting the fire at the chemical plant showed the flashing blue lights from emergency services in the foreground while in the background, large flames billowed into the night sky with the pop of small explosions occasionally fanning the flames brighter.

On Aug 21 this year, the New York Times, citing satellite imagery and public records, identified a sodium cyanide manufacturer in Shijiazhuang whose sprawling facility was located less than a kilometre from a primary school with up to 700 students and staff members.

The manufacturer, Hebei Chengxin Company, appeared to be in violation of Chinese regulations — which state that facilities with hazardous chemicals are forbidden from operating less than a kilometre from public buildings and major roads.

In August, massive explosions at warehouses for hazardous chemicals rocked the port city of Tianjin, killing at least 158 people and exposing China’s endemic lax enforcement of safety regulations.