8th firefighting detachment. (Photo/Cyol.net)

The huge crack on the red gate of the 8th firefighting detachment is just like a crack on the heart of 22-year-old fire fighter Zhang Mengfan. He is the only one left in the detachment after the Tianjin explosion. Of the other 26 firemen, four have been confirmed dead, four are still missing, and the other 18 are all injured and in the hospital.

On the night of Aug. 12, Zhang Mengfan was on the night shift. After receiving the order from Tianjin Fire Department, he saw his comrade-in-arms off and stayed on duty at the detachment. Zhang had never thought how disastrous this incident would turn out to be. “Now all I hope for is to have the other four back safely. I really don’t want to hear any more bad news.” Zhang was welling up when he said that.

As the only fireman left in the 8th firefighting detachment, he refused to relocate. Zhang begged the commanding officers to let him stay in the detachment. “I feel it is my responsibility to guard everyone’s belongings,” he said. He made everyone’s bed, organized their washbasins and tooth-brushing cups as if they would come back finally.