Accidentally left tap on: China woman’s mistake turns neighbourhood into ice rink

Wang shared that her father had reprimanded her strongly, saying he felt embarrassed by the incident and her carelessness. (AI-generated image)

A resident in northwestern China inadvertently caused hazardous icy conditions in her housing compound after failing to shut off the tap of a household water heater following a shower, leading to hours of continuous water leakage that later froze overnight, according to a report in South China Morning Post. 

The incident occurred in Lanzhou, the capital of Gansu province, where overnight temperatures in mid-January dropped to around minus eight degrees Celsius. According to a report by Xianfeng News, the woman, identified by the surname Wang, later issued a public apology through a video posted on social media in January.

In the video, Wang explained that she had bathed the previous evening and neglected to close the tap connected to her home’s solar-powered water heater. As a result, water continued to flow for approximately nine hours.

She acknowledged responsibility for the situation, saying the ice-covered paths seen by residents the following morning were the result of her oversight, and expressed regret for the disruption caused to others living in the compound.

The water heater’s storage tank is installed on the rooftop of the residential building. After the tap was left open, water continued to refill the tank and eventually overflowed, cascading down the exterior wall of the building and spreading onto the road below.

Footage shared online showed water streaming down the structure before freezing on contact with the ground due to sub-zero temperatures, creating a thick layer of ice across the roadway.

The frozen conditions were first noticed in the early hours of the morning by Wang’s father, who routinely goes outside at dawn to exercise. She later told local media that at around 6am, her father found the road covered in ice, with water still flowing. Initially, he believed the source was another household before tracing it back to their own apartment.

He immediately contacted Wang and asked her to help remove the ice. The family began clearing the frozen surface together, while Wang’s mother purchased large quantities of salt from nearby shops to help melt the ice.

In her video message, Wang said the family had bought all available salt from local stores, adding an apology to any neighbours who were unable to purchase salt that morning as a result.

She also shared that her father had reprimanded her strongly, saying he felt embarrassed by the incident and her carelessness.

Property management staff later joined the family to assist in clearing the ice. Authorities confirmed that no injuries were reported and that the situation was resolved without further incident.

The episode attracted widespread attention on mainland Chinese social media platforms, where users reacted with a mix of humour and sympathy.

One commenter said the woman had acknowledged her mistake openly and acted quickly with her family to address the consequences, adding that residents should be understanding. Another joked that the incident had effectively created a “salt field,” referencing the amount of salt used to clear the ice.