Man Forgot to Turn Off His Gas Stove for 27 Days. What He Found When He Returned Home Left Him Speechless

A man in China returned home after being away for nearly a month and made a terrifying discovery: his gas stove had been burning continuously for 27 days.

Remarkably, despite the flame staying lit for almost four weeks, no fire or explosion occurred.

A Nearly Month-Long Mistake

The incident happened in Yuhuan City, Zhejiang Province, where a man identified only by his surname, Ye, had left home after preparing a pot of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Before leaving, he accidentally forgot to turn off the gas burner.

When he finally returned 27 days later, he was stunned to see the burner still set to its lowest flame.

By then, all the liquid inside the iron pot had long since evaporated. The herbal medicine had burned into charcoal, the bottom of the pot had become badly warped, and even the ceramic tiles surrounding the stove had cracked from prolonged exposure to heat.

He Had Been Paying for the Gas Without Realizing It

While he was away, Mr. Ye continued receiving and paying his monthly gas bills as usual.

He had no idea that the charges were coming from the stove that had been left burning inside his home the entire time.

“I was terrified when I realized what had happened,” he said. “If anything had gone wrong, the consequences could have been unimaginable—not only for me but also for my neighbors.”

Why Didn’t the House Catch Fire?

Safety experts say the outcome was an extraordinary stroke of luck.

Several factors likely prevented a disaster:

• The burner had been left on the lowest possible flame.
• There were no flammable materials close to the stove.
• Gas continued burning normally, preventing a dangerous gas buildup inside the house.

Had even one of those conditions changed—for example, if the flame had gone out while gas continued leaking—the situation could have ended in a catastrophic explosion or house fire.

A Similar Incident Happened Before

The unusual case reminded many people of another viral incident from Hunan Province in 2023.

A woman returned home after spending seven days away for the Lunar New Year holiday and discovered that her gas stove had also been left burning.

The frying pan had completely dried out, its bottom was severely warped, and even the wooden handle of a cooking utensil left inside had been charred black.

Fortunately, no fire broke out.

Internet Users Were Divided

After the woman’s video went viral, many social media users questioned whether the story was real.

Some argued that leaving a stove on for days should have caused a fire much sooner.

Others suggested that because the burner had been set to an extremely low flame, the cookware slowly overheated without immediately igniting nearby objects.

The woman later insisted that the incident was genuine and explained that the flame had indeed been turned down to its minimum setting.

A Reminder for Every Household

Fire safety officials say incidents like these should serve as an important warning.

Before leaving home, always double-check:

• Turn off the gas stove completely.
• Unplug unnecessary electrical appliances.
• Shut off the gas supply if you’ll be away for an extended period.
• Install gas leak detectors whenever possible.
• Consider using stoves equipped with automatic shut-off safety features.

While Mr. Ye escaped unharmed, experts stress that his experience was an incredibly lucky exception—not something anyone should expect to happen again. A single forgotten burner can turn an ordinary day into a life-threatening emergency.