All too common for developers to cut costs on fire prevention

ON JUNE 22, a fire in an apartment in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province, killed a woman and her three children. The police arrested the family's nanny on suspicion she started the fire deliberately. An editorial on Beijing News comments:

The suspect is already in custody and an investigation is underway. If the nanny is found to have set fire to the apartment deliberately, she should pay for her crimes.

However, the case raises a question: How could a small fire have killed so many? Reports show that the fire covered about 50 square meters, which is rather small compared with major fire accidents, but it took longer than two hours for it to be extinguished.