Parent in China brings son to work to spend time together, child gets bored, plays with lighter & burns down office

A 12-year-old boy in China allegedly caused a massive office fire after being brought to work by his parent and later playing with a lighter out of boredom.

According to the South China Morning Post (SCMP), the incident took place on Apr. 30 in Ningbo in eastern Zhejiang province.

The parent, whose identity and gender were not disclosed, had reportedly brought the boy to the office in hopes of spending time together and strengthening their parent-son bond.

However, while the parent was busy working, the boy was allegedly left alone in the office.

Boy allegedly started burning tissues with lighter

According to SCMP, the boy later became bored and decided to pass the time by setting paper tissues on fire using a lighter.

Sparks from the burning tissues reportedly landed on clutter near a desk, causing the fire to spread rapidly and eventually engulf the office.

The boy reportedly alerted his parent after realising the situation had escalated.

Employees at the office then attempted to contain the fire using dry-powder extinguishers while firefighters were called to the scene.

According to SCMP, much of the fire had already been extinguished before emergency responders arrived.

However, the office itself was reportedly left heavily damaged.

Photos circulating online later showed blackened walls, charred desks and burnt office equipment.

No injuries were reported.

Losses from the fire were estimated to be in the tens of thousands of yuan, according to reports.

Firefighter urges parents to supervise children

A firefighter at the scene later reminded parents to be vigilant around children and fire hazards.

“Children are curious about everything, but they have a low safety awareness,” the firefighter reportedly said.

The incident also sparked reactions online.

“He is not three or four years old. This boy is apparently spoiled by his family,” one social media user wrote.

Another joked, “I think no boss will allow workers to bring their children to the office in the future.”