The ancient Tibetan county, with wooden houses 12 centuries old, was completely destroyed by a devastating fire . The authorities trade accusations of responsibility for the costly (disconnected) anti-fire system and contradicting causes of the fire.

Beijing ( AsiaNews) - The fire that destroyed the central part of Shangri-La county ( Yunnan) has unleashed a wave of controversy among the various local authorities, who have not yet identified the dynamics of what happened. Officials are trading accusations of responsibility for the deactivation of the expensive anti-fire system, installed three years ago precisely to protect the wooden houses that date back 12 centuries.

The ancient Tibetan city of Yunnan Gyalthang - first known by the name of Dukezong and then officially renamed Shangri-La in 2001 by the Chinese government - is part of the prefecture Deqen and is one of the main tourist destinations in China . It is located in a mountainous area of rich in Tibetan beauty and culture, much easier to reach for tourists especially since Tibet has effectively been closed down by the central authorities .

The fire broke out in the night between January 11 and 12: in about 10 hours the fire devastated nearly 300 homes, and more than 2,500 people have found themselves destitute. At the moment the government is providing tents and material necessities, but given the winter conditions this support is proving totally inadequate. It is also difficult to understand if and how the county will be rebuilt, given that most of its revenue comes from tourism connected with the antiquity of its destroyed structures.

The authorities do not even know why the fire alarm was out of order. The mechanism, according to some sources, he had been locked to prevent the pipes exploding because of sub-zero temperatures. The system was installed three years ago and it cost 1.3 million dollars.

The cause of the fire also remains a mystery. Liu Qiusheng, an executive deputy governor of Shangri-la County, told a news briefing on Monday afternoon that a 41-year-old female shop owner was to blame as she had lit her window curtains on fire in an electrical accident, which then spread to neighbouring houses. The woman , a native of Shanghai , was arrested at the time and is under investigation.

But the finding was quickly rebutted by Qi Xiaodong, deputy police chief, who said at that a police investigation was still under way and refused to comment on the previous announcement by the county government. When asked if he agreed with the county government's earlier finding, Qi said, "We only recognise [announcements of] our own."

 

• china
• tibet
• shangri-la
• fire
• police
• investigation