Man's Reckless Act of Lighting Willow Catkins Sparks Car Fire, Faces Legal Consequences
Recently, a man in Gaoyou, Yangzhou, Jiangsu Province, riding an electric scooter, ignited roadside willow catkins with a lighter out of curiosity. Due to the extremely low ignition point of willow catkins, the fire quickly spread after contact with the flame, becoming completely out of control within about a minute and rapidly spreading to a parked white sedan, causing it to catch fire.
After discovering the fire, the man immediately attempted to extinguish it himself by stepping on it and fetching water, but failed to control the blaze, and the flames even rekindled at the scene.
Nearby residents discovered the fire and promptly called the police and participated in the response. Local firefighters arrived at the scene and extinguished the flames completely within just 5 minutes.
It was confirmed that the man is an employee of a company, and his actions directly caused damage to the involved sedan, resulting in property loss and safety hazards.
Currently, the man has been handed over to the public security organs for legal processing due to causing a fire through negligence, and will bear corresponding legal and civil compensation responsibilities.
The fire department reminds the public that willow catkins are highly flammable and easily spread rapidly when exposed to open flames. It is strictly prohibited to ignite willow catkins, and the public should call for help immediately upon discovering a fire.