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1994 Karamay fire
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1994 Karamay fire
The Karamay fire (Chinese: 克拉玛依大火) of 8 December 1994 at the Friendship Theatre in Karamay, Xinjiang, China, was among the most notorious fires in China. Its notoriety derives partly from the allegation that the schoolchildren, who were entertaining visiting officials, were ordered to remain seated when the fire started to allow the visiting officials to walk out first. The fire killed 325, including 288 schoolchildren.
The Friendship Theatre was built in 1958 following Soviet architecture, renovated starting in 1989 and reentered operation in December 1991. The building had three floors and was originally designed with a capacity of 796 people. The renovation increased it to 810. The soundproofing material was made of asbestos and polyurethane; the curtains were made of cotton. In certain positions, the spotlight was only at a distance of 20 cm from the stage curtains. Due to a lack of awareness on fire safety, the refurbishments of the theatre introduced many flammable objects, such as the seats, which due to being made from artificial fibres, burned well, spread out toxic gasses and proved fatal in the fire to many people.
A prior fire had occurred in the building, also as a result of burning a stage curtain with the spotlights; the curtain was electronically lowered, and the fire was able to be put out.
On 8 December 1994, 500 schoolchildren were taken to a special variety performance at a theatre in Karamay at Friendship Theatre (友谊馆). Most were aged between 7 and 14. At 18:10, a spotlight aimed too close at the curtains overheated the curtains, igniting the curtains towards the rear of the stage. By 18:20, a student in the second row noticed a burning smell; while the stage workers had realised the seriousness, much of the audience believed that it was part of the special effects and remained seated. Unlike the previous fire, the two electricians who operated the curtains were not available, being on a business trip to Ürümqi. Eventually, the main stage curtains were closed, concealing the fire from the audience; the fire was starved of oxygen, though it continued to burn, eventually burning through the electrical wiring and causing a blackout in the theatre. The students, who had previously remained seated started panicking to exit the theatre. At some point after the blackout, the supporting frame for the stage curtains collapsed, causing oxygen to rush into the previously starved fire, creating a backdraft reaching up to 1200 °C at 60 ATM.
First response consisted of four fire brigade trucks, however, the firefighters who arrived on scene first did not have proper respiratory equipment and thus struggled in the toxic environment, resulting in 27 injuries to firefighters due to the smoke. The fire crews also lacked powered equipment, with each fire truck having only one fire axe; the fire pump pressure around the hall was also lacking. The dry powder fire extinguishers in the theatre, though potent against chemical fires, were wholly useless against the fire, high up in the curtains.
In 1995, the China Youth Daily was the first to have reported that somebody had asked the students 'let the officials leave first' (让领导先走). The phrase has since become a catch phrase, meaning the government officials have priority over ordinary folks in times of emergency.[citation needed][undue weight? – discuss] As such, this fire remains the most notorious fire in China.
Online articles identified the official as Kuang Li (况丽), the vice-director of the state petroleum company's local education centre, without official confirmation of this. By the time the leaders had filed out of the only open emergency exit, the other exits remained locked, preventing many teachers and pupils from escaping.
Other survivors agreed that while 'let the leaders go first' was indeed said, it was spoken at the beginning of the performance, as a manner of respect to them when the performance ends and China Youth Daily took the original sentence out of context. Notably, in the documentary Karamay, in an interview conducted in the hospital immediately after the fire, none of the interviewees spoke about the students being instructed to let the leaders go first.
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1994 Karamay fire
The Karamay fire (Chinese: 克拉玛依大火) of 8 December 1994 at the Friendship Theatre in Karamay, Xinjiang, China, was among the most notorious fires in China. Its notoriety derives partly from the allegation that the schoolchildren, who were entertaining visiting officials, were ordered to remain seated when the fire started to allow the visiting officials to walk out first. The fire killed 325, including 288 schoolchildren.
The Friendship Theatre was built in 1958 following Soviet architecture, renovated starting in 1989 and reentered operation in December 1991. The building had three floors and was originally designed with a capacity of 796 people. The renovation increased it to 810. The soundproofing material was made of asbestos and polyurethane; the curtains were made of cotton. In certain positions, the spotlight was only at a distance of 20 cm from the stage curtains. Due to a lack of awareness on fire safety, the refurbishments of the theatre introduced many flammable objects, such as the seats, which due to being made from artificial fibres, burned well, spread out toxic gasses and proved fatal in the fire to many people.
A prior fire had occurred in the building, also as a result of burning a stage curtain with the spotlights; the curtain was electronically lowered, and the fire was able to be put out.
On 8 December 1994, 500 schoolchildren were taken to a special variety performance at a theatre in Karamay at Friendship Theatre (友谊馆). Most were aged between 7 and 14. At 18:10, a spotlight aimed too close at the curtains overheated the curtains, igniting the curtains towards the rear of the stage. By 18:20, a student in the second row noticed a burning smell; while the stage workers had realised the seriousness, much of the audience believed that it was part of the special effects and remained seated. Unlike the previous fire, the two electricians who operated the curtains were not available, being on a business trip to Ürümqi. Eventually, the main stage curtains were closed, concealing the fire from the audience; the fire was starved of oxygen, though it continued to burn, eventually burning through the electrical wiring and causing a blackout in the theatre. The students, who had previously remained seated started panicking to exit the theatre. At some point after the blackout, the supporting frame for the stage curtains collapsed, causing oxygen to rush into the previously starved fire, creating a backdraft reaching up to 1200 °C at 60 ATM.
First response consisted of four fire brigade trucks, however, the firefighters who arrived on scene first did not have proper respiratory equipment and thus struggled in the toxic environment, resulting in 27 injuries to firefighters due to the smoke. The fire crews also lacked powered equipment, with each fire truck having only one fire axe; the fire pump pressure around the hall was also lacking. The dry powder fire extinguishers in the theatre, though potent against chemical fires, were wholly useless against the fire, high up in the curtains.
In 1995, the China Youth Daily was the first to have reported that somebody had asked the students 'let the officials leave first' (让领导先走). The phrase has since become a catch phrase, meaning the government officials have priority over ordinary folks in times of emergency.[citation needed][undue weight? – discuss] As such, this fire remains the most notorious fire in China.
Online articles identified the official as Kuang Li (况丽), the vice-director of the state petroleum company's local education centre, without official confirmation of this. By the time the leaders had filed out of the only open emergency exit, the other exits remained locked, preventing many teachers and pupils from escaping.
Other survivors agreed that while 'let the leaders go first' was indeed said, it was spoken at the beginning of the performance, as a manner of respect to them when the performance ends and China Youth Daily took the original sentence out of context. Notably, in the documentary Karamay, in an interview conducted in the hospital immediately after the fire, none of the interviewees spoke about the students being instructed to let the leaders go first.