People across China held a variety of activities Wednesday to mark National Fire Safety Day, to promote awareness on fire prevention.

At an elementary school in Beijing, firemen demonstrated fire-hose connecting and students held a fire suit wearing contest.

Fire fighters at Central South University in the city of Shangsha launched a large-scale fire-drill with college students and the fire brigade also passed on knowledge to the public and shared their concerns about fire disasters.

The first student volunteer association on fire safety has been established at Heilongjiang University in north Heilongjiang Province, with the main task aimed at strengthening safety management procedures on campus.

Also Wednesday, vice director of the fire bureau of China's Public Security Ministry Li Shixiong said China will strengthen the fire safety through state-of-the-art technologies.

He said at a press conference that there were 180 thousand fire accidents in the first nine months of the year, less than the same period of last year.

He added although the fire control network has already been formed, China continues to intensify law enforcement, monitoring and rescue work.

(CRI.com November 10, 2005)