China tightens checks to limit fire hazards

The Ministry of Public Security on Monday said more than 8,000 sites or facilities have been warned of potential fire hazards in an ongoing nationwide safety check that started in late May.
Among the 8,227 sites, 7,606 were found to have problems with their firefighting equipment, accounting for 92.5 percent, the ministry said in a statement.
Workshops or storehouses where inflammables and explosives are stored were under the same roof as workers' dormitories at some factories, according to the statement.
Other problems include obstruction of emergency exits or fire lanes in shopping malls, marketplaces, hotels, restaurants, or entertainment venues that have been targeted in the inspection, it added.
The national campaign, which lasts until October, will focus on safety checks of petrochemical pipelines, ancient villages with cultural relics and architectural complexes in the following months.
Workplace safety is a major issue in China. A shoe factory fire in the eastern city of Wenling, Zhejiang, killed 16 people in January.
In March, another 11 people were killed in a fire at a family-run clothing workshop in south China's Guangdong Province.