A MAN who set fire to a Bao'an factory resulting in the deaths of seven workers in January 2007 was recently sentenced to life imprisonment by the Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court, according to a court press release.

Xie Degang was found guilty of setting fire to the Yixing Moulding Equipment Factory in Gongming Subdistrict in revenge against his former employer, the Daily Sunshine reported yesterday, citing the court ruling.

The report said Xie quit his job at the factory just two months after starting because he could not sustain the high pressure of the work. After he quit, Xie had a dispute over wages with the factory.

On Jan. 21, 2007, Xie sneaked into the factory and spread some unidentified flammable liquid on the ground floor and set the building on fire. The fire spread rapidly because of plastic products and other combustibles stored in the factory warehouse. Steel grills over the windows in the factory made it difficult for workers to escape.

Seven workers died in the fire, which was one of the city's worst fires since 1999, according to the municipal administration of work safety.

The owner of the factory and the landlord of the building were also arrested after the 300-square-meter factory was found to be an illegal workshop operating without a license or fire-prevention devices.

There was no mention of penalties imposed on the factory owner or the landlord in yesterday's report.

(Wei Jie)