China strengthens fire safety checks before holidays

Local fire departments have been told by the Ministry of Public Security to check potential hazards ahead of the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day Holiday.

At a national fire service conference on Tuesday, Liu Jinguo, vice minister of public security, said, "Fire bureaus at all levels should focus their fire safety checks on places of entertainment, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants, and supervise the setting up of fire-control equipment."

The ministry has zero tolerance to the failure of meeting fire control standards, Liu said.

He also suggested the setting up of a mechanism to promote awareness of fire control among local governments, improvements in basic firefighting facilities and increased fire prevention knowledge for the public.

The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday will last from Sept. 19 to 21, and the National Day holiday falls on Oct. 1 to 7.