River of fire: 

A river in eastern China caught fire after years of pollution from factories upstream had turned it flammable.

The river had become so contaminated that it was set alight by a lit cigarette being thrown into the water.

The flames shot up more than 16ft into the air and had to be extinguished by firemen in the city of Wenzhou in Zhejiang province.

Local residents said that the river has been heavily polluted for years, as a result of oils and chemicals being released into the water by several shoe-making factories and packaging firms further upstream.
Despite this being common knowledge in the area, they say that the council’s environmental protection office have refused to take action against the polluting companies, as they are too important to the local economy.

The fire also caught several cars that had been parked next to the pavement alongside the river, destroying them in the process.

Fireman had to use special foam fire extinguishers to put out the fire on the river’s surface. Police are now investigating where the chemicals might have come from.

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