Alleged arson destroys store

An employee of a water supply store allegedly set the shop on fire at Wenhuiyuan residential compound in Xicheng district at 1 am Saturday.

The alleged arson was because his employer had failed to pay his salary, a local resident claimed on Sunday.

The charred remains of the store were scattered around the first-floor property in the middle of a six-story block of apartments.

Residents told of how they battled the blaze before firefighters arrived, but were beaten back by the flames which were fanned by strong winds. No one was injured in the blaze.

"Many residents joined in the effort, but because of the strong wind, the fire was quite large. It was finally put out by [firefighters from] five fire trucks at 2 am," a resident surnamed Wang told the Global Times Sunday.　

Wang claimed that many residents had told him the fire was set on purpose.

"An employee of the water station was allegedly the firebug because he wasn't paid," he said.

A staff member from the store told the Beijing Times he was awoken by smoke around 1 am, and saw the flames spread to the second-floor balcony.　

A resident from the fourth story said that she and her father tried pouring water from their balcony onto the blaze, but this had no effect due to the strong winds, the report said.

An anonymous police officer from Beitaipingzhuang police station in Xicheng district confirmed that the incident might be connected with arson, but claimed that they are still investigating.

"We don't know anything in detail," she told the Global Times.

A firefighter surnamed Zhang from Xicheng district firefighting squad, confirmed that they helped to extinguish the fire.

"We are still investigating the cause of the fire," he said. Zhang noted that it normally takes a week for the result to be revealed.

Shi Fumao, a lawyer at the Beijing Legal Aid Office for Migrant Workers, told the Global Times that setting a fire is an extreme way to get attention.

"Although he has the right to ask for his money, he could go to the local labor bureau or NGOs like us for legal help instead," he said.

Shi noted that he once encountered a case of a man who climbed to the top of a crane threatening to jump if he was not paid.　

"Yet I never saw anything like this case of fire," he said.

On December 4, a laundry in Xinxixi village of Shantou in Guangdong Province was set on fire causing the deaths of 14 people, China News Service reported Wednesday. An employee allegedly set the fire because of not being paid, the report said. Local police are now investigating the case.

The water store could not be reached Sunday.