Wednesday’s blaze started at around 1:18 am when two electric bicycles caught fire, Xinhua said, citing the fire department. Dozens of police and onlookers gathered behind yellow tape sealing off the scene, watching fire inspectors and local government officials go about their work. In recent weeks, authorities have torn most of the buildings to the ground. Fire safety is a major problem in the city’s cheap migrant housing, which often features jerry-rigged electrical wiring and no easy way to flee a blaze. But the brutal efficiency of the demolitions and mass evictions has provoked an unusual public outcry that has put officials on edge.

Source: The Express Tribune December 13, 2017 09:11 UTC