Massive blaze tears through warehouse in China

A huge fire tore through a warehouse in southern China yesterday.

Dramatic footage has emerged showing huge plumes of black smoke filling the air above the raging inferno. 

Around 60 firefighters and 12 fire engines were dispatched to the site in Guangxi Province to put out the fire. 

Onlookers crowd outside a warehouse as a huge fire tears through it in China on February 21

No casualties have been reported as a result of the accident.

According to a social media statement from the local fire-fighting department, the fire occurred at around 1pm on February 21 in the city of Hezhou. 

The warehouse, occupying 280 square metres (3,013 square feet), is situated on Chengxi Road in Guiping District and stored home appliances. 

Firefighters quickly brought the situation under control. No one was inside the warehouse at the time of the fire. 

The fire devours a 3,000-square-foot warehouse which stores home appliances in Hezhou

Reports of factory or warehouse blazes appear often in China. Many of them take place in chemical plants.

This is because the country has relatively relaxed health and safety regulations compared to the West. Workers’ safety conscientious is also relatively low. 

One of the worst warehouse fires in China happened in 2015. Around 158 people died in a series of massive explosions at chemical warehouses in Tianjin – the world’s 10th-largest port.