Summary
Deadly warehouse blasts that killed 165 people in a Chinese port city in August were triggered when a chemical stored in an unlicensed facility became too dry and caught fire, investigators announced Friday.
The 165 people killed in the Aug. 12 blasts in Tianjin included 99 firefighters who responded to the fire and 11 police officers.
The official report did not explain the high casualties among firefighters, but Du Lanping, a leading investigator, told state broadcaster CCTV that firefighters were not informed of the existence of the 800 tons of ammonium nitrate.
When the chemical exploded, the firefighters were too close to evacuate safely, Du said.
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