A man in Hunan province who collected compensation on behalf of his deceased daughter in a battery-related fire has lost a subsequent legal battle to claim his former wife's compensation payment. The case centered on whether he had inheritance rights to the funds designated for his ex-wife after their daughter's death.

The incident occurred on November 16, 2024, when a fire broke out at a residence in Sangzhi County, Hunan. The blaze, caused by a tenant named Song who stored used lithium batteries indoors, killed seven people from three generations of one family, including a woman identified as Tian Jia and her daughter Tian Yi.

Following the tragedy, the local town government signed advance compensation agreements with the victims' families. Under one agreement related to Tian Jia, a total of 1,084,600 yuan was allocated, with 100,000 yuan paid to an individual for funeral arrangements. The remaining 984,600 yuan was placed into a community account under supervision, pending final distribution among entitled parties through mutual agreement or court ruling.

Yu, who is Tian Yi's father and Tian Jia's ex-husband, had already collected the compensation for his daughter. He then sought to claim the 984,600 yuan allocated for Tian Jia, arguing that as their daughter was the rightful recipient of that amount, he inherited the claim upon Tian Yi's death. After the town government refused his request, Yu filed a lawsuit against them.

The court found that Yu and Tian Jia married in December 2009 and had a daughter in June 2010. They divorced in January 2013, with Tian Jia retaining custody. The court determined that the town government acted as a benevolent intervenor providing emergency relief, not as the liable party or as manager of the deceased's estate, and therefore was not the appropriate defendant in this case.

Yu's claim that the government violated his property inheritance rights was dismissed for lacking factual and legal basis, according to the court. The first-instance ruling rejected his claim, and an appeal was subsequently denied by the Zhangjiajie Intermediate People's Court, which upheld the original decision.

An investigation report published on May 27, 2025, by the Zhangjiajie Emergency Management Bureau confirmed that tenant Song's improper storage of used batteries in room 203 caused the fire, which spread rapidly to room 303 where all seven victims were located. Song was placed under criminal investigation by Sangzhi County Public Security Bureau on November 17, 2024, on suspicion of negligent arson, with prosecutors recommending criminal liability. All names in this report are pseudonyms.