On April 29, just before the May Day holiday, a fire broke out at a restaurant in Liaoyang City, Liaoning Province, claiming the lives of 22 individuals. The incident drew significant attention from China's top leadership, who promptly issued directives. In response, Liaoning Province has launched a three-month province-wide fire safety rectification campaign.
The tragedy also prompted the Liaoning Provincial CC&TSPM to issue a directive the following day, mandating all Christian venues in the province to implement enhanced fire safety measures. In addition, some churches invited fire and rescue personnel to deliver fire safety education and conduct on-site fire drills.
An initial review of the "4.29" fire in Liaoyang revealed that the victims perished due to suffocation, having been unable to escape. The current state of fire prevention in some churches is a cause for concern. The most pressing issue is the lack of proper fire escape routes, including emergency exits and evacuation passages. Furthermore, certain church buildings feature narrow staircases, which could hinder evacuation and increase the risk of stampedes during emergencies.
Churches should consider installing at least one evacuation staircase at an appropriate location within the building to ensure that each floor meets the required number of emergency exits and evacuation distance standards. During a visit to the fourth floor of a five-story church, I asked three professional firefighters, "This church has five floors but no dedicated fire escape. What should be done in the event of a fire?" They responded, "Go out through the window using a rope." However, many churchgoers are elderly and lack the ability or training to use ropes for evacuation, and the number of available ropes is typically insufficient. In existing church structures, it is advisable to stock disposable emergency gas masks for use in emergencies. Additional escape devices can also be installed on windows, and external metal ladders or evacuation staircases can be constructed outside the building.
In recent years, church fires have occurred from time to time. For instance, on April 15, 2019, a fire broke out at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, burning for 15 hours before being extinguished. The cathedral's spire collapsed, and the wooden roof was almost entirely destroyed. On July 12, 2024, a fire broke out at the top of Rouen Cathedral in France. Fortunately, it was swiftly brought under control without significant damage. This historic church, a gem of medieval French Gothic architecture, has faced multiple fires and reconstructions throughout history. In China, the Jiangbei Catholic Church in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, originally named the Cathedral of Our Lady of Seven Sorrows and built in 1872 in the Roman Gothic style, suffered a major fire in the early morning of July 28, 2014. The main structure was severely damaged, leaving only the bell tower intact. Another church in northeastern China, which had just undergone extensive renovations, was completely charred by a fire last year. Fortunately, it occurred at night when the building was unoccupied. These incidents underscore that fire safety must never be taken lightly. Beyond equipping churches with firefighting tools and conducting regular fire drills, comprehensive fire prevention efforts are essential.
(Originally published by the Gospel Times, the article has been edited under permission and the author is a Christian living in Liaoning Province. )
- Edited by Karen Luo, translated by Poppy Chan
