On the afternoon of December 11th, a gas explosion occurred in a high-end residential building in Yuefu Phase II, Yuezhu Street, Nanshan District, Shenzhen, causing a fire. At least four floors above and below were affected by the fire, with details of one of the luxury homes exposed.
The fire originated near unit C on the 28th floor of the residential building, believed to have been caused by a gas explosion. The affected floors were primarily on the 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th, and 31st levels.
Yuefu Phase II, developed by China Resources in Shenzhen Bay, is a 44-storey building with a total of approximately 350 units divided into two towers. The complex is located in a prime area of the Shenzhen property market. Second-hand prices in Yuefu Phase II generally start above 200,000 RMB per square meter, with a four-bedroom, one living room unit of 166 square meters priced as high as 33.3 million RMB, and a four-bedroom, two living room unit of 224 square meters priced at 51.8 million RMB.
Information from the Alibaba Assets Judicial Auction website shows that unit C on the 27th floor of the affected building has been auctioned off three times since May this year with no successful bids. The property was appraised at around 20.24 million RMB on May 23rd, and the last auction on October 11th ended at about 16.1941 million RMB with no bidders despite 10,505 views.
According to the Alibaba Assets Judicial Auction website, the owner of the property is Lin, a senior executive of a local automotive company in Shenzhen. The property was seized by the court due to a contractual dispute with a local bank over a loan agreement.
A relative of Lin confirmed that one of the properties affected by the fire belonged to him. Due to irregularities in his company’s operations, Lin has been unreachable for over two years, and the property in Yuefu Phase II has been unsuccessfully auctioned off three times.
Attempts to contact the property management and gas company in the area for information regarding recent leasing and selling activities of unit C on the 27th floor of Yuefu Phase II were unsuccessful. Representatives from surrounding real estate agencies declined to provide any information, stating that the phones were overwhelmed with inquiries.
Rescue personnel on the scene reported that the initial investigation indicated a gas explosion near unit C on the 28th floor of the residential building as the cause of the fire. At around 19:00 on the 11th, staff from the Shenzhen natural gas service hotline confirmed a repair request from a resident of Yuefu Phase II the early morning of the incident.
The property management company of the affected building is Shenzhen China Resources Property Management Co., Ltd. Workers at the scene revealed that around noon on the 11th, gas company personnel visited residents for inspections, indicating that concerns about gas leaks had been raised.
The residential building where the explosion occurred is located near the iconic Chun Cui Building in Shenzhen, known for its dense population and buildings. The incident attracted a large crowd of onlookers in the surrounding area.
Witnesses described the explosion’s shock wave as strong enough to affect the Chun Cui Building. Some employees working in Chun Cui mentioned feeling the impact and some companies began evacuating the building.
Another witness recounted seeing a woman in one of the luxury units above the burning residence clinging to a windowsill before falling. After the fire was extinguished, the smoke rose tens of meters high, spreading a burnt odor in the vicinity, leading to the evacuation of nearby businesses.
Many internet users expressed horror at the tragic fire incident.