A man refurbishes his family members' tombstone at the Babaoshan People's Cemetery in Beijing, capital of China, March 30, 2013. Citizens have begun to remember and honour their deceased family members and ancestors as the annual Qingming Festival draws near. The Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day, is usually observed by the Chinese around April 5 each year. (Xinhua/Wang Quanchao)
The Ministry of Public Security on Monday urged the public to take every precaution to prevent fire around the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Day.
During the holiday, which falls on April 4, the Chinese pay respects to deceased family members. Traditionally, the tributes involve burning incense and paper money, which has occasionally caused fires in past years.
Residents should not burn paper money, candles or set off fireworks when there is strong wind, the ministry's fire control bureau said in a statement on Monday.
The burning should be far away from residences, public buildings, cultural relics, forests or grassland. People should not leave the burning sites unless the fire is extinguished, the bureau urged.
It is forbidden to block the way for fire-fighting vehicles, the statement said. It also warned against fire risks caused by electric bicycles.
A total of 520 million people visited their ancestors' tombs during the holiday in 2012, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs. About 200 forest fires were reported during the three-day festival last year, but there were no major fire accidents.
Copyright ©1999-2011 Chinanews.com. All rights reserved.
Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.
