With the arrival of spring, willow trees planted on the streets of many cities are beginning to shed willow wadding. However, a man in Central China's Henan Province set fire to the willow wadding out of boredom, not realizing that the ignited light fluttering flakes could bring on serious consequences.

On May 4, a man was talking on his phone in the streets of Zhengzhou, Henan Province. Because he was bored, he used his other hand to play with his lighter, but accidentally ignited the willow wisps flying in the air, a local media outlet reported. The fire quickly spread.

Although the local fire department sent seven fire engines and 45 firefighters to the scene and extinguished the fire after about 40 minutes, more than 30 cars were burned in a used car market at the scene. A video from the scene shows that the market's gate and garage were also severely damaged.

The incident is currently under further investigation.

The fire department emphasized to the public that willow wadding should never come in contact with open flames. Once the willow wadding is ignited and falls everywhere, the fire spreads terribly fast.

On China’s Twitter-like platform Sina Weibo, many netizens expressed their hope for less willow trees to be planted in the city. "Willow wadding often drifts into the nose and mouth and can easily cause fires. I hope we can plant fewer of these trees in the city or plant improved varieties."

Global Times