Lit Cigarette Butt Sets Vendors Firework Stand Ablaze

Story By: John Feng, Sub Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Asia Wire Report

Video Credit: AsisWire

This is the moment a street vendor’s entire stash of fireworks erupts in an inferno of pyrotechnics after a customer’s lit cigarette butt reportedly set the roadside stand ablaze.

Footage taken by passing drivers shows the impromptu pyrotechnics display happening in the city of Baoding in North China’s Hebei Province on 30th January.

Numerous fireworks can be seen firing off every which way, shooting up into the sky and also onto the street towards witnesses.

Picture Credits: AsiaWire

Bangers on the roadside shop also go off, with the lengthy and crackling display drawing more and more residents and eventually the police too.

Authorities say no one was injured during the accident, the vendor of the fireworks stand having fled to a safe distance when it began exploding.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation, but reports have suggested a customer’s discarded cigarette butt may be to blame.

An improperly stamped out cigarette reportedly set off the fireworks, reports said.

Firework sales are peaking in the days leading up to Chinese New Year.

The buying and selling of pyrotechnics has become strictly regulated in recent years, with several first-tier cities such as Beijing banning their use in downtown areas in a bid to combat air pollution.