Shanghai man arrested after firecracker celebration leads to 700,000 RMB in damages

A Shanghai man caused around 700,000 yuan in damages when he set off fireworks to celebrate his new vehicle purchase and caused a blaze that spread to nearby stores in Songjiang district. The man was arrested for unintentionally starting a fire, prosecutors said yesterday.
The man, surnamed Guo, purchased a Dongfeng van on December 5 and to celebrate, set up eight fireworks and eight firecrackers in front of his store at a building materials market, Shanghai Daily reports. He went ahead and lit them despite warnings from security guards, and as you can expect, things went terribly wrong when sparks from the firecrackers ignited some flammable materials nearby and the flames spread to several stores including a wood carving shop.
He’d have been wise to learn from this guy in Chongqing who lit off some firecrackers to celebrate the purchase of his new minivan and set the car on fire. Considering Spring Festival is quickly approaching, however, we’re guessing that a few more stories like this are yet to come.