China halts 1,556 venues in Christmas fire check

Chinese police temporarily shut down 1,556 public venues with fire risks in a fire check during Christmas.

Conducted nationwide on Dec. 24 and 25, the fire campaign targeted various public venues including churches, temples, clubs, cinemas, game rooms, hotels, shopping malls and enterprises with busy nightlife, the Ministry of Public Security said in a Friday statement.

In addition to temporary closure, police also forced 182 public activities to be cancelled and detained 125 people for failure to prevent severe fire risks.

Police focused on issues such as the arrangement of special fire safety personnel on duty, conditions of fire-fighting equipment and facilities, fire exits and the fire-resistance of interior decorations.

The statement said that no major fire accidents were reported during this year's Christmas, but didn't reveal the number of accidents or casualties.

It added that police saved and rescued 552 people from fire and retrieved property worth 52.44 million yuan (8.44 million U.S. dollars).