Viral Video Of Flammable Tap Water In China Sparks Investigation

An investigation has been launched after a video of flammable tap water in China went viral. Watch it here:

Miss Wen, a resident in Panjin city, a port city in Liaoning Province in the northeast of the country, shared footage of running tap water bursting into flames after a lighter was brought to it.

She shared the clip on Chinese social media site Weibo on Sunday (22 November) and it quickly went viral.

Miss Wen claimed that gas had poured out of her home's tap periodically over the past three to four years, according to Sixth Tone.

She added that when her father complained to their local water supplier in the summer he was told it was likely because he had recently upgraded his water quality, and nothing could be done - with a token gesture of 100 yuan (£11.40/$15.17) discounted from his water bill.

According to the Daily Mail, she said around 100 families in the area had experienced a similar problem.

Miss Wen said: "It's been a very long time. After washing our hands or dishes, our hands wouldn't feel dry. They feel slippery and we can't wash it off.

"I'm really not clear on whether there's anything harmful in the water."

Pear Video

Local authorities released a statement shortly after the video went viral, confirming they had cut off the water source while investigations were conducted.

The statement read: "On the morning of 22 November, a resident reported on Weibo that 'the tap water in a villager's home in Liaoning can be set alight'.

"Dawa District attached great importance to it and acted swiftly. Relevant departments set up a joint investigation team to understand the situation in residents' homes and take active countermeasures.

"At noon on the 22nd, water wells in the problematic area were shut down, residential water pipes were disabled, and temporary adjustments [were made].

"At present, relevant departments are conducting water quality testing, cause analysis, etc., and will announce the testing report and investigation results as soon as possible."

Pear Video

In a subsequent statement, authorities reported the flammable water phenomenon was caused by a 'small amount of natural gas'.

The statement read: "Dawa District attaches great importance to the residents' complaint that 'the tap water in a villager's home in Liaoning can be ignited' and immediately hired an expert to analyse and find the cause.

"After in-depth investigation and analysis, the expert believed that the source of the tap water in Siying Village where the resident was located came from deep groundwater.

"Due to a small amount of natural gas strung into the water layer, the natural gas was brought to the ground during the water extraction process.

"Due to the recent expansion of the water storage device of the water station in this area, the temporary direct supply of groundwater has caused a small amount of natural gas to enter the water pipe network, causing flammability phenomenon."

Topics: Viral, World News, China

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey