Chinese authorities feel the heat after restricting lighters for fire safety concerns

In Mianning, only one shop per residential area will be allowed to sell a “fire-lighting product” while minors are completely banned from buying the products for the next three months.

The rules are meant to reduce the risk of starting out-of-control fires, but they are being criticised online.

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Fire fighters put out a forest fire in Liangshan prefecture, Sichuan province in China on March 31, 2020. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 9:05am, 30 Mar 2021Updated: 9:05am, 30 Mar 2021

Authorities in Mianning, a county in the southwestern Chinese province of Sichuan, put tight restrictions on residents’ ability to buy more than one lighter or box of matches until the end of June, according to an announcement posted on social media platform WeChat on Sunday.

The measures have been put in place to control the igniting and spreading of potential fires during the high-risk season, the announcement said.

Minors under 18 years of age will be completely banned from purchasing any fire-lighting products. Just one store in each village or residential community will be designated by authorities to sell the products during the three-month period. The regulation also requires people to present their ID cards upon purchase.

A government notification about restricting the sales of matches and lighters was posted on the door of a grocery store in Mianning county on March 28, 2021. Photo: thecover.cn

“In principle, an old lighter should be provided to exchange for the new one,” said the announcement.

But internet users have been quick to criticise the strict measures, believing the government was shirking its responsibility to prevent and control forest fires.