Yicheng · Full chronicle and history

An investigation report released in October shows that the Yicheng Emergency Management Bureau and the Zhengji Town government inspected the fireworks shop 5 times before the incident. They repeatedly discovered issues such as illegal stacking and excessive storage, but only ordered rectification without imposing any penalties. After the incident, inspections of 259 fireworks retail stores across the city revealed that 248 of them had safety hazards.

On February 18, an explosion occurred at a fireworks and firecracker shop in Zhengji Town, Yicheng City, Hubei Province, resulting in 12 deaths. Surrounding buildings were damaged to varying degrees, with rolling shutters blown off by the shockwave and glass shattered. The affected road section was temporarily placed under a full lockdown.