Sichuan Boy Throws Firecrackers into Biogas Pool on the Second Day of the Lunar New Year, Causing Explosion

On the second day of the Lunar New Year in 2025, a methane explosion incident occurred in a septic tank in Zizhong County, Neijiang City, Sichuan Province, due to the detonation of firecrackers. A boy threw firecrackers into the septic tank, causing the methane explosion, damaging a total of 8 luxury cars including Porsche and BMW.

This incident quickly became a social hot topic during the Chinese New Year and sparked discussions among netizens.

One of the car owners involved in the incident updated the situation on a short video platform, stating that they are currently awaiting the assessment of the car damages and are in negotiation with the parties involved. The owner’s account has amassed over 244,000 followers. Among the damaged cars, two belong to this owner, one being a Lexus ES300h, and the other an Audi A8 45 TFSI. During the explosion, the Lexus was closer to the center and was even thrown into the air.

In the video posted by the owner, the damaged Lexus was shown to have suffered severe damage at the explosion site. A clip demonstrating the damaged Lexus received over 1.8 million likes on the account. Additionally, on January 31, the account conducted three live broadcasts, with the highest viewership reaching 100,000 and garnering nearly 500,000 likes.

On the other hand, incidents where children throw lit firecrackers into septic tanks or manholes, causing explosions, are not uncommon, sparking discussions on how the responsibility should be shared.

In response to this, several lawyers have told the media that in this accident, besides the child and their parents who ignited the septic tank, the property management company as the manager of the septic tank also bears a certain responsibility.

The incident involved a total of 8 damaged vehicles insured with three insurance companies. According to estimates from the three insurance companies involved, the expected amount for the damaged vehicles is approximately 285,000 RMB each.

Wang, a vehicle surveyor from Pacific Property Insurance Company, stated that their company is involved with three damaged vehicles, including the heavily damaged Lincoln and Lexus, with estimated losses of 100,000 and 60,000 RMB after considering the age of the vehicles and the amount of insurance coverage for vehicle loss. Additionally, a BMW is estimated to have a loss of 6,000 RMB.

Song, a vehicle surveyor from Ping An Property Insurance Zizhong Branch, mentioned that their company is associated with three damaged vehicles: a Porsche with an estimated loss of 40,000 RMB, an Ideal with an estimated loss of 15,000 RMB, and a Geely with an estimated loss of 2,000 RMB.

Zhang, the head of the Claims Department of China People’s Insurance Zizhong Branch, stated that their company is handling two damaged vehicles: an Audi with an estimated loss of 54,000 RMB and a Land Rover with an estimated loss of 8,000 RMB.