Tianjin Explosion: Blast In Warehouse Illegally Storing Chemicals, 2 Months

The fire was reported at a chemical warehouse in the Beichen district of the city at 9.46 pm on Monday night, the state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Rescuers are seen at the site of an explosion at a warehouse in Beichen district in Tianjin, October 13, 2015. Almost 6,600 pounds of alcohol were being stored in the 7,500 square-foot warehouse, the Associated Press reported, citing Tianjin government’s news office.

The latest explosion quickly became a trending topic on Sina Weibo, the country’s most popular microblog, racking up 250,000 searches by early morning Tuesday.

Explosions are common in China, where safety standards are often lax.

Investigators in Tianjin Municipality have announced a warehouse which exploded on Monday night was in violation of rent regulations.

Police said the warehouse, storing alcohol and other chemicals, was unlicensed.

It said the incident posed no hazard to people or the environment.

A total of 165 people died as a result of the explosions of August 12 at a hazardous goods storage facility, which devastated a swathe of Tianjin, authorities say, including almost 100 firefighters.

The disaster raised questions about corruption and government efficiency.