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China's Smog Is So Bad No One Noticed A Factory Was On Fire

Adam TaylorJan 15, 2013, 19:49 IST

APChina's smog problem is reaching historically high levels, with air quality in parts of the country now 40 times higher than standards set by the WHO.

There's also serious visibility problems — and these can have real ramifications.

State news agency Xinhua reported Monday that a fire in a 10,700 square foot factory in China’s Zhejiang province went unnoticed for 3 hours as locals couldn't tell the difference between the smoke and the smog blanketing the area. By the time anyone noticed, the fire was out of control.

When firefighters finally arrived, it took them 10 hours to finally put out the blaze.