[8] A preliminary finding by investigators concluded that sparks from welding work being done on the building, undertaken by unlicensed welders, ignited scaffolding around the structure, which led to the apartments' destruction.

[24] Qiu Jingshu, a worker on the 18th floor, said sparks from welding being done on another building flew over and caused the scaffolding to catch fire.

[33] Victims not in hospitals, as well as evacuees from three surrounding city blocks, were sent to public buildings, including a school and a stadium, until their housing situation could be addressed.

[13] A doctor at Shanghai's Jing'an Hospital said that over 20 people injured in the fire had been admitted, many suffering from asphyxia caused by smoke inhalation.

[2] Jing'an officials set up temporary lodging and food at area hotels,[8] and some survivors stayed at a gymnasium overnight.

[43] Liu Jinguo, Vice Minister of Public Security, described the firefighting as "a successful model",[44] leading to a dispute by Chinese netizens.

[5] Local residents said that fire safety requirements at the high-rise were lax, and that workers often tossed used cigarettes into the building's hallways.

[45] According to Ming Pao, family members of the victims were dissatisfied with the official investigation and held a sit-in protest, calling for a fair judgement.

Some locals blamed the official rescue work by comparing it with a large emergency response exercise on a 330-meter building several days before,[18] and the successful firefighting for a blaze at Shanghai World Financial Center in 2007.

[citation needed] In Beijing, authorities halted renovation projects similar to the one being done on the apartment in Shanghai shortly after the blaze.

The projects, intended to save energy by installing insulation, were stopped on 19 November, pending safety evaluations of the work.

[48] On 20 December 2010, the mayor of Shanghai, Han Zheng, said that the city would crack down on unfair practices of construction companies and contracting firms.

[49] Some media organizations had been questioning the connections between Jing'an District's government and the contracting groups involved in the fire, leading to accusations of corruption.

Zhang Renliang, the top official of Jing'an District, said that Shanghai residents and foreign workers would be compensated equally.

[13] Hong Kong-based Sing Tao Daily and Singapore-based Lianhe Zaobao reported that four journalists from Xinjing News (新京报), China Daily, Reuters and a local newspaper were detained for one hour as security forces demanded a guarantee for positive news coverage by the journalists, before they were to interview families of the victims at a funeral parlour.

[53] The New York Times reported that Chinese website Huasheng Online was blocked by government censors after criticizing the country's real-estate industry.

"[52] Willy Wo-Lap Lam, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said Han was trying "to do some damage control to dispel anger and to comfort the families of the victims and the Shanghai people.

"[16] Luo Lin, chief of the PRC State Administration of Work Safety, blamed the fire on illegal employment methods, poor project oversight, and incompetent, inexperienced workers.

[56] In a 24 November press conference, local authorities said that the two apartments next to the destroyed building would be renovated as well, and that foam cladding on their exteriors would be switched out in favor of fire-resistant materials.

[1] According to Xinhua, about 10,000 people attended a public mourning at the site on 21 November, seven days after the fire; mourners left large amounts of flowers surrounding the burnt building.

During the event, the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra played "Ave Maria" and monks recited sūtras at a local temple.

According to Chinese legend, souls of the dead also visit humans 35 days after death, but police were taking mourners away on buses.