A former fire chief jailed for six years for dereliction of duty is being made a scapegoat to soothe public anger over a fatal Shenzhen nightclub fire, his family says.
The family said that Chen Feng, former head of the No 1 brigade of the Longgang District Fire Department, was the 'fall guy' chosen by local firefighting authorities to take responsibility for the September blaze at the unlicensed Dance King nightclub.
Chen, 42, was sentenced by the district people's court last month as one of six officials held accountable for the incident. He was the only official from the fire department involved.
The court said all six bore some responsibility for unsafe conditions at the club. The fire, started by fireworks set off indoors, killed 44 people and injured 64 others.
The fire was heavily reported on the mainland because of the flammable materials found in the club and reports of bribery of police and other officials to turn a blind eye to safety regulations. The case sparked reports of breaches of fire safety regulations at entertainment venues nationwide. But Chen, a firefighter for 20 years, wants to appeal against the verdict. He says he is innocent and was a sacrificial lamb for a local government under public pressure to hold someone accountable.
'Chen Feng is a scapegoat without any support,' younger brother Chen Xiaoyong said. 'Anyone who knows him and his service performance knows he is a firefighting hero rather than a derelict official.
