Woman in China makes a hole in side of building for her own personal fire escape

A woman in Changde, Hunan province has become the talk of the country on Chinese social media after she destroyed the exterior wall of her apartment and constructed a fire escape that leads from her unit to the adjacent building.

Months back, the woman hired workers to break the external wall of her unit so that she could install an iron door, reported South China Morning Post.

The workers then constructed a short flight of stairs that connected the iron door to the roof of the adjacent building.

Her actions came to light after someone reported her to a government website, reported Changde Daily.

According to photos that were circulated online, the flight of steps looked particularly precarious.

This was partly because it had no handrails to prevent one from plunging 28 storeys to the ground.

The woman, surnamed Wang, claimed that she made the modifications so that she could escape to the next building in the event of a fire in her block.

Regardless, what Wang did was not only illegal but also dangerous.

The municipal urban management administration visited Wang in early November after they received the tip-off.

An investigation subsequently found that Yang's modifications had compromised the integrity and load-bearing capability of the building.

A load-bearing wall holds the weight of elements above it and channels it to a foundation structure below.

Any changes or damage to it presents a safety risk.

Wang was instructed to revert all the changes and return the building to its original condition by a certain deadline.

She was also advised to engage a certified construction team.

Wang's actions sparked a flurry of debate online.

Some commenters opined that she should have been jailed.

Others wondered why the property managers of the building did not notice what the workers were doing.

Top image: 163.com