A newly established fire investigation center in Beijing will use the latest technology to give more scientific, impartial and authoritative answers to such questions, Thursday's Beijing Daily reported.

Through careful laboratory analysis, the center will be able to tell where a fire started and how fast and in which direction it spread, detect traces of gas or other combustible chemicals which can not be found otherwise, and even simulate the original scene of the blaze.

The center has spent 1.8 million yuan (US$220,000) on state-of-the-art analytical instruments, laboratories for chemicaland electrical analysis and fire simulation rooms.

During a trial run, the center pinpointed the cause of a fire that claimed 24 lives at Lanjisu, a Beijing-based Internet cafe, in mid June. The police reached the same conclusion through traditional investigation -- including site surveys and extensive interviews.

The improper operation of electric appliances, spontaneous combustion and arson can all cause fires, experts say.

Of the 5,000 fires that break out in Beijing each year, over 2,000 need more scientific analysis to determine how they are caused and who should be held responsible, said Li Jianlin, a fire brigade investigator.

Li and his colleagues will be technical advisers for the investigation center.

(Xinhua News Agency July 11, 2002)