'They Died As Their Door Was Locked': Family Of Deceased In China Fire That Led To Protests

The family of those who died in the fire in China's Uyghur-dominated Urumqi city blamed the Xi Jinping government's harsh anti-COVID measures for the tragedy.

Demonstrators light candles during a vigil to mourn the victims of the Urumqi fire in Beijing, China, on Sunday, November 27, 2022.

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Among the victims of the fire that claimed 10 lives in China’s Xinjiang Uyghur autonomous region were Haiernishahan Abdurehema, and her four children, aged between five and 13. Abdurrehma’s relatives Sharapat Mohammad Ali and Mohammad Mohammad Ali blamed the stringent anti-COVID measures for the loss of lives.

They said that they could not flee the blaze as the door to their apartment as well as the fire escape were locked. In an interview with CNN, Mohammad Mohammad Ali said, “They could not get out as the fire escape was locked. The door to the fire escape leading to the roof of the building was also locked.”

While the allegation couldn’t be independently verified, CNN reported that Chinese authorities had been caught on video locking the doors to residents’ homes, confining them inside, as part of Beijing’s zero-COVID policy.

Merhaba Mohammad Ali said: “The fire started on the 15^th floor. The smoke poisoned my family. The government couldn’t stop the fire.” Flames spread upward from the 15th floor to the 17th floor, with the smoke billowing up to the 21st floor. Chinese media reports said the fire raged on for at least three hours.

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The siblings have been living in Turkey, unable to visit their home in China due to the Xi Jinping government’s harsh crackdown on Uyghur and other ethnic minorities.

The deadly fire in an apartment building in Urumqi, the capital of China's northwestern Xinjiang region, sparked massive protests across the country.

Another relative of Haiernishahan Abdurehema living in exile in Switzerland, Maimaitimin (27), was shocked beyond words at the tragedy. "She was a housewife, her whole life was devoted to taking care of her kids and educating them well,” he told news agency. The Newsweek identified the children as 13-year-old Shehide, 11-year-old Imran, 9-year-old Abdurrahman, and 5-year-old Nehdiye. The family had been living on the building’s 19th floor for five years.

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Urumqi officials insisted the apartment was in a low-risk neighbourhood where people could roam about freely. However, they admitted that there were cars and bollards blocking fire engines as they rushed in to douse the fire.

According to Li Wensheng, head of the fire rescue department, "Some residents were weak and could not manage to save themselves."