Fire safety lessons in nanny’s case must be learned

On Friday, Mo Huanjing, a nanny with heavy gambling debts, was sentenced to death by Hangzhou Intermediate People’s Court after being found guilty of starting a fire that killed her employer's wife and children.

In court, Mo admitted to starting a fire in the living room of the family's 18th-floor high-rise apartment in Hangzhou, with the intention of putting it out and seeking money from her employer for her swift actions.

After the court released the news on its micro blog, some commented that justice had been done.

But while, a thorough investigation was conducted, and Mo was found guilty based on the evidence. It is too early to conclude justice has been done, because a key question arising from the investigation and subsequent trial is: Does the property management company in charge of the community where the victim family lived bear any responsibility?

The ruling of the court has answered that question. In its verdict, it stated: “There is a relationship between the property management company’s bad maintenance of the firefighting equipment and the delay in extinguishing the fire.”

After the fire, the fire department responded to criticism that it was slow to respond, saying the water pressure was too low and there was a lack of required fire safety features in the building.

The case in Hangzhou should teach all property management companies nationwide a lesson. The fire hydrants must be well maintained, fire exits must be useable, and the property management staff must be trained to respond to fires.

The author is a writer with China Daily.