How do you dry your freshly-washed clothes? Maybe you are one of those lucky people with a tumble drier. Perhaps you hang them out on your balcony. Or near to a heat source. But what happens when your washing actually becomes the heat source?
That’s what happened the past few days in Nanjing, when a bed quilt spontaneously burst into flames while hanging out to dry outside a high-rise residential block.
The bedding, hanging just a few floors above ground, suddenly caught fire at around midday in the searing heat of Nanjing’s summer sun.
Soon the flames had engulfed the quilt, becoming a threat to person and property.
But then a quick-thinking neighbour came to the rescue. Living five floors directly above the burning bedding, they spied the smoke from below drifting by their window and quickly investigated its source.
They then wasted no time in pouring buckets of water from their window. The neighbour’s artificial rain saved the day and the flames were soon extinguished. There was no loss to person or property, reports The Paper.
Chinese people don’t just hang out their bedding after washing. They will very regularly choose to air their quilts (晒被子) as a way to provide extra softness and comfort when bed time comes. It’s the cozy factor.
But the practice is not without controversy. Many argue the sight of other people’s private bed wear is an eye sore, especially in residential compounds where most apartments face another block. It’s relatively common to be able to see quilts and other washing hanging outside as much as 20 percent of an apartment block’s windows.
And after a really big wash, with no more space outside on the drying rack? The next option for many is going downstairs and hanging their undies from a nearby tree, much to the further irritation of a good few neighbours.
