Apocalyptic footage shows massive black smoke rising into the sky. At least one person was killed Saturday (June 18th) in a fire at a chemical factory in Shanghai, Chinese state media reported. The fire broke out around 4 a.m. (local time) at the Sinopec Shanghai Petrochemical Co. plant, located in the Jinshan district, southwest of the Chinese megalopolis. He was brought under control a few hours later, according to the news agency Chine Nouvelle.
“According to our first information, the fire has already caused one death”, the agency said.
The refinery is located near the seafront, not far from a natural park, details AFP, which obtained from a resident a video shot by a drone showing three separate fires. The BBC’s China correspondent shares images showing the thickness and size of the smoke cloud.
Footage circulating of the fire at a petrochemical plant in #China is eerie end-of-the-world stuff. It’s now been brought under control but at least one death. It started in #Shanghai area at 4am today. Gotta be pretty toxic air too. pic.twitter.com/ubrdJNqgsm
—Stephen McDonell (@StephenMcDonell) June 18, 2022
“Fire protection measures are currently in progress”, clarified New China. According to local media, residents of this petrochemical plant heard an explosion before the fire broke out.
The Shanghai Fire Department announced on Weibo, the local equivalent of Twitter, that it dispatched more than 500 people to the scene immediately after the incident. The Ministry of Emergency Management has also dispatched experts to the scene, CCTV reported.
The fire broke out as Shanghai, the economic capital of China, resumes its activity after being completely confined for two months in response to an epidemic outbreak of Covid-19. The lockdown, which officially ended in early June, led to factory closures and disruptions to supply chains.