Ashen skies catch many eyes

• Source: Global Times
• [10:34 June 08 2010]
• Comments

Firefighters check the site of the blaze at a plastics factory Monday afternoon to ensure that the fire has been completely extinguished. Photo: Ni Dandan

By Ni Dandan

No casualties or injuries were claimed by a fire that broke out Monday in a suburban plastics factory located on the border of Minhang district and Pudong New Area.

The flames were the talk of the town as thick, ashy smoke was witnessed as far away as People's Square in Huangpu district, and even along the Lupu Bridge that connects the Puxi and Pudong sites of the Expo Park.

"I could see the black smoke rising very clearly from my office building," Wang Li, who works in Xuhui district, told the Global Times Monday. "I spoke with many of my friends who work in different areas around the city, and they also saw the smoke from their workplaces."

The fire broke out around 3 pm on an open area outside the factory. Many reclaimed home appliances, including refrigerators and washing machines, were piled on the plot of land, which is similar in size to a football field.

An employee of an adjacent factory specializing in glass told the Global Times that he and others went to try and put out the fire on their own while waiting for fire trucks to arrive.

"It was not a big fire, so we tried to use water hoses to put it out," said the man surnamed Zhou.

But strong winds and the mound of flammable items complicated the efforts. Fire trucks arrived on the scene some 40 minutes after the blaze started, a fireman who asked to remain anonymous told the Global Times Monday.

"Many people crowded the narrow street to get a closer look at the fire, which made it difficult for us to approach the site," he said.

The fire, which was put out by 5 pm, was believed by some local residents to have been caused by a discarded cigarette butt, but the case is still under investigation, said police.

Many of the residents are blaming the incident on poor city management of the area, which comprises many underground workshops, and is littered with scrap materials.

"Foam boards, wood and plastic materials are always lying everywhere on the streets," Li Siqi, a resident living nearby, told the Global Times Monday. "It looks like there is no government body in charge of overseeing the mess here."

Meanwhile, the fireman who spoke with the Global Times said that he had been called out to the same location last year to extinguish a small fire, although he could not remember any specific details of that case.