Security Guards Block Journalists
At around 12 noon yesterday, a fire broke out at the "Park Avenue" housing development in the Wenjiang section of Guanghua Avenue, being developed by the China-Singapore Group. A pile of about 200 cubic meters of wood on the construction site caught fire, and thick smoke could be clearly seen from several kilometers away. Firefighters spent over two hours bringing the situation under control. What was perplexing was that several security personnel of the housing development not only failed to help extinguish the fire but also formed a human chain at the roadside to block journalists who had come to cover the incident.
Security Personnel Form 'Human Wall' to Specifically Block Journalists
Wood Fire: Firefighters Busy Extinguishing
On the way to the scene, journalists saw gray-white smoke rising from the roadside two or three kilometers away soon after entering Guanghua Avenue. Two under-construction high-rise buildings were barely visible through the smoke. Upon getting closer, it was observed that the fire originated on a platform between two under-construction high-rise buildings at the "Park Avenue" housing development. A large amount of wood almost completely occupied the entire platform. At this point, the surface flames had been extinguished, but the bottom of the woodpile was still emitting thick smoke. More than ten firefighters stood on the edge of the platform or on the woodpile, using iron hooks to dig into the wood while continuing to spray water to put out the fire. Due to the excessive accumulation of wood, the firefighting efforts encountered some difficulties, and the firefighters on the platform continuously called for reinforcements from their comrades.
"The fire was terrifyingly intense at first," several onlookers recounted. They came after seeing the smoke from several kilometers away. At that time, the flames rose more than ten meters high, and nearly ten fire trucks arrived. "We heard the workers say that it was the sparks from electric welding that caused the fire," one of them told the journalist.
Preventing Interviews: Construction Site Security Forms Human Chain
While the journalist was conducting interviews, five security personnel from the "Park Avenue" housing development rushed over. "No interviews allowed here!" they said while reaching out to block the journalist's camera. The position where the journalist was standing was on the roadside green belt, neither interfering with construction on the site nor hindering firefighting efforts. Why did the security guards come to stop the interview? When questioned, the security guards replied, "You don't need to know the reason," and claimed that the location was the housing development's "private property," and they had the right to ask the journalist to leave.
"How can the public green belt by the roadside become your 'private' property?" the journalist asked again. The security guards were speechless but did not abandon their obstruction of the interview. The five security guards formed a human wall, blocking wherever the journalist's camera pointed. "The public green belt, you can take pictures, and we can stand here too," explained one leading security guard regarding their actions.
The fire was completely controlled at around 2:30 PM. Local fire departments will investigate whether the workers on the construction site violated operating procedures, whether the stacking of building materials was reasonable, etc. If it is found that there indeed were violations of fire regulations, the construction party may face penalties.
Journalist Cheng Pu, Photographer Li Yang
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