Social media postings about an apartment building fire in China’s city of Urumqi spread a nasty story that the Covid-19 restrictions were responsible for the ten deaths in the fire. Specifically, images of doors keeping people locked inside the building were promulgated, leading to outrage against the government.
Hamit Memetmin, the leader of Urumqi’s Tianshan district, where the fire occurred, stated: “It has been confirmed by sources from the community and fire crews that none of the doors to the apartments or the building were sealed, and [that] videos circulating online showing they were sealed with wire were filmed elsewhere and put together with footage of the accident with ill intention.”
