Beijing Suburb Fire: Authorities launch investigation and evacuate migrant workers

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Chinese authorities say 18 people have been arrested in connection with the fire on Saturday night that claimed 19 lives and left 8 others injured. The fire broke out in the capital's southern district of Daxing, which is home to people from across China working in nearby factories. CGTN's Xu Mengqi visited the site of the blaze and brings us this report.

A brutal fire claimed 19 lives, eight of the dead were children. The building they once lived in was gutted by the blaze. The apartment block named Jufuyuan had been home to 400 migrants working in nearby factories. People living nearby are still afraid.

MRS. PAN RESIDENT OF NEIGHBORING JIYUAN APARTMENT "I am scared. I went back with my kid at 4 pm and the fire started at 6. Now I think back it is quite scary."

Jufuyuan is a typical cheap rental apartment in Xihongmen, a township in the southern suburb of Beijing, known for its labor-intensive textile industry. Built illegally as a three-storey complex, it had refrigeration units on its lower floor, shops and restaurants on the ground floor and residential units on the second and third floors. Safety conditions were clearly not up to standards.

XU MENGQI BEIJING "Walking down the streets in Xihongmen, it's rare to see car plates registered locally. In this industrial town, most factory workers and even factory owners are migrants who have come here for the low living cost. Some of them have candidly told me they do not possess licenses to run their businesses."

The cause of the incident remains unclear. Authorities say a 40-day citywide safety check is now underway to ensure risks are minimized.

YAN LIQIANG, VICE DIRECTOR BEIJING MUNICIPAL PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT "The Commission overseeing social security in the capital has started clearing up the densely clustered rental properties in the outskirts of the city and along the metro lines."

The tragic accident also accelerated the demolition of buildings in Xihongmen that had been slated to be taken down for months. This was a surprise to many.

SHOP OWNER "At around 9 o'clock this morning, we were given a notice to empty this space and leave."

TEXTILE FACTORY MANAGER "We came here from the rural area to make a living. Of course we need to answer the government's call, but all I wish is a bit more time than three days. Our workers now have nowhere to go and we have nowhere to move the equipment."

These factories are unlikely to be seen near Beijing in the near future, as the municipal government continues its push to phase out "so-called" non-capital functions such as manufacturing. A lot of the migrant workers in Xihongmen say they are now heading back home. Xu Mengqi, CGTN, Beijing.