48 punished for negligence in Henan University auditorium fire

Dozens of individuals involved in a fire at Henan University in central China's Henan province, which engulfed its century-old grand auditorium in May, have faced punishments, local authorities announced on Saturday.

The blaze occurred on May 2 while the building was undergoing repairs. The auditorium, situated in the university's oldest campus in Kaifeng, Henan, was constructed in 1934 and stood as a significant landmark building.

The local fire rescue department recently released an investigation report, revealing that the fire covered an area of 3,410 square meters, resulting in a direct economic loss of 27.438 million yuan ($3.79 million).

According to the investigation, it was caused by safety management deficiencies at the construction site. The construction unit engaged in illegal open flame operations, the supervisory unit neglected its duties, the design unit violated regulations, and local Party committees, governments, relevant functional departments, and units failed to fulfill their responsibilities properly.

The accident investigation team determined that the direct cause of the incident was the improper use of a liquefied petroleum gas spray gun by construction workers during the roof waterproofing operation of the auditorium renovation project. The high-temperature flame ignited the wooden roof below the waterproofing material, leading to the fire.

Sixteen individuals, including personnel from the construction and supervision teams, are suspected of committing crimes and have been investigated and transferred to judicial authorities for legal proceedings by the public security organs. Administrative penalties have been imposed by relevant departments on Henan University, the design, construction, supervision, and testing units involved in the auditorium renovation project for their illegal actions, according to authorities.

The disciplinary and supervisory authorities have taken serious measures against 32 officials from local Party committees, governments, relevant functional departments, and units for their dereliction of duty in the accident.

Among them, a warning was given for Song Zhenghui, deputy governor of Henan; 26 people including Mao Jie, director of the Provincial Department of Education, received disciplinary punishments; and five individuals, including Qi Tao, deputy general manager of the Henan University's logistics group, suspected of committing crime, have been handed over to judicial authorities for legal processing.

Zhangyi1@chinadaily.com.cn