Drug user jailed over fatal blaze
Print Edition
A methamphetamine user who caused a fatal blaze after lighting a scented candle to disguise the smell of his drugs has been jailed for five years.
A neighbor trying to retrieve valuables from his flat died in the fire, Yangpu District People’s Court said yesterday.
Prosecutors said the drug user, surnamed Chen, was taking methamphetamine — also known as “ice” — at home in Yangpu on September 8 last year.
He lit a scented candle to cover the smell of the drug but forgot to extinguish it when his family asked him to come downstairs, the court heard.
The candle set Chen’s room ablaze while he was downstairs arguing with his family, and spread to neighboring flats.
A neighbor, surnamed Lin, seeing that his house was ablaze took some valuables out before returning to get other items.
But Lin was overcome by carbon monoxide while trying to retrieve valuables and died at the scene, the court heard.
Under Chinese law, a person whose carelessness causes a fire that leads to one fatality or severe injuries to three or more people can be jailed for up to three years.
However, the court ruled that as Chen was involved in illegal activities that caused the fire, he should therefore receive a heavier sentence.
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