Beijing firework accidents on the decline

Beijing (CNS) -- The curtain finally came down on Beijing's annual 16-day "amnesty" for fireworks at midnight of the Lantern Festival celebration, which fell on February 6 this year.

During the sixth annual Spring Festival period 192 fire-related accidents were reported around the municipality, responsible for 272 injuries and one death. The figure this year represented a 45.7 percent drop year-on-year, according to the city's special office for holiday fireworks monitoring.

Beijing residents will be able to exchange their unused fireworks for gifts dispensed by the city government, a program running from February 7 until February 10. All fireworks collected will be recycled or disposed of by the safety supervision authority.

The only death occurred when a man bought fireworks from an illegal retail unit and was burned so seriously that he didn't make it to the hospital alive. Two men believed to be the illegal retailers involved are in custody.

On the windy night of the Lantern Festival, the municipal police deployed two helicopters to coordinate with ground forces on accident patrol and control. Altogether, 590 fire trucks and 60 other fire control vehicles had been cruising residential communities to spot safety threats.