Xiaoli (pseudonym) works in a shopping mall in the southern suburbs of Xi’an. Due to the double shifts, almost half of each month leaves work after 10 p.m.
“My husband’s biggest worry is whether I’m safe on my way home. A few days ago, he heard from a friend that there was a thing called ‘wolf flamethrower’ sold on the Internet, and he also bought me one for me to use for self-defense after the night shift. Xiaoli told reporters that this wolf-proof flamethrower is a little scary, “like a welding torch, which can spew fire.” I don’t know if this thing can be brought on the bus or subway. The weather is so hot, will it be dangerous if it explodes? ”
Available online
The merchant said that the flame temperature reached thousands of degrees
According to the URL link given by Xiaoli, the reporter easily found this “anti-wolf artifact” on an online shopping platform.
Online store sellers advertise that the product can be “multi-purpose”, which can be used for self-defense of single women walking at night, and can also be used to picnic and light bonfires for outdoor enthusiasts. The sales volume of some merchants is also very impressive, and some have reached hundreds of transactions in a single month.
An online store owner told reporters that this thing is actually similar to the principle of windproof lighters. “The inside burns high-purity butane, and the temperature of the flame ejected is thousands of degrees. The design is also very simple, there is a lock on it, push up to open the lock, and then press and hold the switch to breathe fire, the flame can continue to spray for 15 to 30 minutes. Press down to close it, which is very convenient and easy to carry. This thing is much more powerful than anti-wolf spray and has deterrent power. ”
Journalist experiments
The ice peak cans are melted easily
In order to confirm how powerful this “anti-wolf artifact” is, the reporter of Sanqin Metropolitan Daily also selected one on the Internet, and the price was 99 yuan.
This flamethrower is about 20 cm long, cylindrical, and has a metal shell. Adults can operate with one hand, and there is a switch on it to control the flame. When you press the switch, the flame spewed out is about 20 cm and is red.
Subsequently, the reporter conducted several different experiments.
Pick up a paper shoe box and aim it at the jet, and in just a second, a hole appears in the shoe box.
A piece of pure cotton fabric, aimed at a spray, the fabric was immediately burned out of a large hole.
An aluminium ice peak can begins to melt gradually after about a minute.
In order to confirm the merchant’s claim that it can be used for the “barbecue” function, the reporter bought a ham sausage for experiments, and the result was that the ham sausage was quickly blackened and charred and could not be eaten.
Among the “wolf flamethrowers” sold in this online store, the price ranges from thirty or forty yuan to hundreds of yuan. The reporter saw that the most expensive one actually sold for 588 yuan, and the instruction manual indicated that the flame spewed out reached 50 centimeters, the maximum temperature could reach 2,000 degrees, and it was an open flame.
Some buyers left messages in the comment area saying that copper, aluminum and other metals can be burned when burned continuously.
Civilian police saying
It is not allowed on public transport
Is this “lethal” “anti-wolf artifact” contraband, can it be carried on trains or subways and other means of transportation? Yesterday, the reporter interviewed the police.
Officer He of the former branch of the public security station told reporters that this item has not been found among the contraband seized by the police so far. But “this thing certainly can’t be carried.” ”
Officer Ho said that in fact, this is an “enhanced” oversized lighter, and the butane charged in it is a flammable gas. “According to the regulations issued by relevant national departments, flammable gases such as hydrogen, methane, ethane, butane, ethylene, and acetylene cannot be brought on large vehicles such as planes and trains.”
The reporter asked the security personnel of several subway stations in a row, and they were clearly told that they could not bring them.
Officer Ho said that it is best for the general public not to buy and use. “This thing not only has safety risks, but also hurts people, and after the human body is sprayed, there will be very serious burns, and the consequences are very serious.”
Reporter Zhang Qingyue Intern Liu Minling