Causes of Container House Fires

The main causes of fires in container houses include electrical wiring faults, non-compliant building materials, improper storage of flammable and explosive materials, and human negligence in fire usage.

Electrical wiring faults are a common cause of fires in container houses. For example, in 2020, a fire broke out in a container-modified house in the industrial park of Anci District, Langfang City. After investigation, it was found that the fire was caused by an electrical wiring fault in a switch on the east wall outside the container of the southern warehouse, which ignited the surrounding weeds and subsequently triggered the fire. Some container houses, in order to save costs, have non-standard electrical wiring installations, with prominent issues such as aging wires, short circuits, or unauthorized connections, which can easily generate sparks and ignite surrounding combustibles.

Non-compliant building materials are also an important factor. Some temporary houses on construction sites and illegal buildings of some enterprises use flammable materials such as polystyrene and polyurethane foam for the core materials to save costs. These materials have poor fire resistance and safety. Sparks from electrical welding or cigarette butts can ignite them. Once ignited, they burn rapidly and produce melting deformation and dripping at 80°C. The dripping material can trigger more severe burning and also generate a large amount of toxic smoke, increasing the risk of casualties.

Improper storage of flammable and explosive materials is equally dangerous. In 2025, a fire broke out suddenly in a container in Dongpu Town, Meizhou Bay North Bank Economic Development Zone, Guangdong Province. The container was stacked with 7 boxes of fireworks and 1 gas cylinder and other flammable and explosive materials. Although emergency rescue efforts prevented casualties, there was a significant safety hazard. If these items are not stored properly and encounter high temperatures or open flames, they can easily trigger explosions and fires.

Human negligence in fire usage cannot be ignored. For example, some residents use mosquito coils to repel mosquitoes in container houses. If the mosquito coils are placed improperly and ignite surrounding combustibles, a fire can break out. In addition, behaviors such as illegally using high-power electrical appliances or using bottled gas indoors in container houses also increase the likelihood of fires.