According to CCTV, at around 8 pm on January 30th, a deliberate arson tragedy occurred in Dagujiazitun Village, Xibali Township, Zhaodong City, Heilongjiang Province. Villager Li Xinbo intruded into fellow villager Dong Liyou's house and set alight the 100 kilograms of gasoline he had brought with him. More than 30 villagers who were gambling at the time were caught in the fire - three were burned to death on the spot and seventeen were injured. Additionally, a cleaner stole gold bars while cleaning the rooms.
**Scene**
"Let you all burn"
On the morning of January 31st, the public security department of Zhaodong City conducted an on-site investigation of Dong Liyou's house. The three bungalows were left as only frames, and the embers still emitted wisps of smoke.
Villager Dong Guozhi witnessed the entire incident. He told reporters that when he saw Li Xinbo rushing into Dong Liyou's home carrying two buckets of fifty kilograms of gasoline each, he threw them onto the ground, splashing it everywhere. Initially, everyone thought it was water or alcohol and didn't pay much attention. "When I saw him take out a lighter, I tried to run out, but he pushed me back inside. I gave his arm a shove; the first attempt failed, then he squatted down and lit it successfully on the second try. Instantly, the whole room was ablaze."
Villager Sun Changjun said he saw Li Xinbo shouting "let you all burn" while setting the fire. He ran out, his body already on fire, struggling to open the door which had been locked from the inside before escaping. "Li Xinbo had been drinking," he added.
**Casualties**
Five injured in critical condition
It was reported that among the three deceased were an elderly person from Dong Liyou's family, over 60 years old, and two women in their forties. Currently, four burn victims are receiving treatment at the Zhaodong People's Hospital, while another thirteen were rushed overnight to the Fifth Hospital of Harbin. Two of the patients with relatively minor burns have been discharged after simple bandaging.
Dr. Li Zongyu, head of the Burn Unit at the Fifth Hospital of Harbin, introduced that among the eleven admitted patients, the oldest was 58 years old and the youngest was 33. Five patients were in serious condition, with their lives in danger. The most severely injured was a 45-year-old woman, with 80% of her body burned, currently under emergency treatment in the isolation room.
Villagers said that there had been no significant grudges between the Li and Dong families in the past. The only connection was mahjong. A few days ago, the villagers used to play at Li Xinbo's place, where he would receive anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand yuan daily as "appreciation money." However, recently people had shifted their games to Dong Liyou's house, and rumors spread that Li Xinbo was taking too much money, which made him unhappy, leading to this tragedy.
Currently, the police are actively hunting for the suspect, Li Xinbo.