Beijing, April 09 : A fire at a nursing home in northern China’s Hebei province has killed 20 elderly residents and left 19 others hospitalised, local authorities said on Wednesday.
The blaze broke out around 9 p.m. local time on Tuesday at the Guoen Senior Home in Longhua County, Chengde City, and was extinguished by 11 p.m., according to state media. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Police have detained the person in charge of the facility, officials said.
At the time of the incident, 260 elderly residents were living in the 300-bed nursing home, according to public records cited by Jimu News and the South China Morning Post. Among them were 98 individuals with total disabilities, 84 classified as semi-disabled, and 78 capable of self-care.
The facility was licensed to provide accommodation, food, and daycare for the elderly and disabled.
The deadly blaze echoes a similar tragedy in January 2024, when a fire at a residential complex in Xinyu City, Jiangxi province, claimed 39 lives and injured nine. Investigators later blamed the incident on the illegal construction of a cold storage facility in the building’s basement. More than 50 officials were punished in connection with that case, which caused direct economic losses exceeding 43.52 million yuan ($5.9 million).
China has faced criticism in recent years over fire safety standards at care facilities and residential buildings, with calls for stricter enforcement of regulations to protect vulnerable populations.
