Builder arrested over temple fire tragedy

Police have arrested the builder of a bamboo temple where a fire killed 40 worshippers – one of two deadly weekend blazes that prompted China’s Cabinet to call for public help in improving safety.

Investigators were questioning dozens of people to find the cause of the second fire, which took 53 lives at a shopping mall in the country’s northeast.

An engineer from the Cabinet’s investigation team was trying to find out why fire extinguishers that were in the mall were not used to fight the blaze, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

Authorities blamed the temple fire in the village of Wufeng, southwest of Shanghai, on burning incense that ignited the building. The dead were reported to be all women, aged 40 to 84.

Chen Jianliang, the only man in the temple at the time, was arrested on charges of building it illegally, Xinhua said.

Three women who helped Chen organise the ceremony were summoned for questioning.

They were taking part in a traditional ritual meant to smooth the path of the spirits of relatives after death.

The fires dealt a blow to efforts by the government of President Hu Jintao to end a string of fires, coal mine accidents and other disasters that kill scores of people at a time. Investigators often blame negligence and indifference to safety rules.

The Cabinet, in a meeting led by Premier Wen Jiabao, ordered local officials to “strengthen safety work” and appealed for public help, Xinhua said.

“All officials must pay great attention to safety work,” and efforts should extend to every business, office and school, the agency said.