Around 3 am, a fire broke out in a pre-loading port storage unit containing fireworks. Explosions were also noticed. The storage facility, which accounted for 60% to 70% of China’s fireworks exports, was composed of about 20 buildings over a 70-ha zone designated for storing large quantities of packages on several floors (between 15,000 and 300,000 boxes according to sources). The fire gradually spread to all of the zone’s buildings through ignited fireworks falling back to the ground. These ignited fireworks also triggered fire outbreaks within the vicinity; 18,200 poultry and 9 hectares of cereal farmland and forests were burnt to ashes. The fire was only brought under control after more than 30 hours by some 100 fire-fighters.

The fire did not cause any casualties; just 2 individuals were injured by walking on broken glass. According to (contradictory) sources, a blast effect (measuring 1.1 on the Richter scale) would have damaged other storage buildings as well as 4,000 dwellings in neighbouring villages, while destroying windows within a 1 to 2-km radius.

Initial investigation findings suggested that the buildings had not been designed to store the kinds of fireworks found onsite (illegal storage of fireworks classified in risk division 1.3 contained in buildings designed for division 1.4).

The company acted by compensating residents at an amount equal to 3 million yuan (equivalent to €320,000).