Chinese businessman throws burning gas canister into home of rival, triggering fiery blast

A businessman reportedly threw a burning gas canister into the residence of a rival in a town in China’s coastal Fujian province on Friday, where it exploded and triggered a fire on the ground-floor of the victim’s building, the Strait News reports.

The attacker then set upon the rival with an axe, injuring him, although no other people were reported hurt.

The police identified the assailant as Zhang Zaoping, who was building a development on a mountain near a eucalyptus farm owned by the victim, Zhang Cijie.

How the two projects ran into conflict was not revealed, but Zaoping decided to launch a violent attack on Cijie, who previously worked in the local prosecutor’s office, the News reported.

Zaoping drove to the man’s home in the four-storey building in Pinghe county at about 6.30am, carrying three canisters of gas with him, according to the police report.

He began to shout threats and when Cijie opened the rolling shutter that led into his home, Zaoping ignited one of the canisters and threw it into the building, where it exploded and triggered the blaze.