On December 25, 2000 (November 30, 2000 in the lunar calendar), a major fire accident occurred in Luoyang and killed 309 people. At about 9 p.m. on December 25, 2000, Wang Chengtai and other four welders, all working without a license, were welding the iron plates separating the layer from the second underground floor on the first underground floor of Dongdu Commercial Building. The welding slag splashed onto the combustible materials on the second underground floor, causing a fire. Wang Chengtai and others fled the scene without calling the police after using water to put out the fire. They entered into an offensive and defensive alliance. On the morning of December 27, all four welders who escaped were arrested by the public security organs and confessed to their illegal activities. Public security firefighters, criminal investigators and technical experts have seized welding machines, welding guns, and welding rods at the iron plates above the fire point, and extracted welding slag formed after welding at the fire point, and determined that the fire was caused by splashing welding slag onto furniture and flannel on the second underground floor. The appraisal conclusion of the public security organs has been circumstantial evidence from the personnel carrying goods on the first underground floor at that time. At present, the Luoyang City Public Security Bureau has criminally detained four welders, Wang Chengtai, Song Long, Lai Dengge, and Ding Xiaodong, as well as eight people who were working on the scene and gave false testimony afterwards. After careful cleaning and secondary review of the accident site, the Luoyang "December 25" fire accident investigation and handling leading group confirmed today that a total of 309 people were killed in the accident, the vast majority of whom died due to suffocation. According to preliminary investigations, the Dongdu Commercial Building where the fire broke out is located in the Laocheng District of Luoyang City. It has two floors underground and four floors above ground. The business situation of the commercial building has been poor and has been rented out to individual vendors for long-term operation. Not long ago, the commercial building reached a contract with Taiwanese businessmen to renovate the original equipment. Before the fire broke out, the indoor project had entered an advanced stage. It is understood that Dongdu Commercial Building has been listed by the Henan Province government as one of the 40 fire control unqualified units since 1997. It has not been effectively rectified. The local cultural management department has revoked its cultural business license. However, self-employed households illegally contracted the fourth floor of Dongdu Commercial Building to operate song, dance and entertainment.