China reports 5,046 fires in high-rise buildings this year

BEIJING, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- China has reported 5,046 fires in high-rise buildings since the beginning of 2017, with direct economic losses of over 80 million yuan (12.2 million U.S. dollars), according to a statement released by the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) on Wednesday.

A high-rise building refers to a public building with a height of more than 24 meters or a residential building with a height of more than 27 meters, according to the MPS.

The country has 619,000 high-rise buildings, of which 6,457 buildings have a height of more than 100 meters. The latter are increasing by 8 percent year on year, 2.5 times the world average.

In July, a campaign was launched by related departments, including the MPS and the Ministry of Civil Affairs, in a bid to address problems involving exterior thermal insulation materials and fire-fighting equipment in high-rise buildings.

Fire departments are drafting a regulation for fire safety management in high-rise buildings. Enditem