About 8,000 lighters seized at Chinese museum

BEIJING, Aug. 16 (UPI) -- Officials at Beijing's Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, said 8,000 cigarette lighters were confiscated on the first day of a new ban.

Museum curator Shan Jixiang said more than 8,000 lighters were seized Thursday, which marked the first day of the facility's ban on lighters and matches, China's state-run Xinhua news agency reported Friday.

Jixiang said the owners of the seized lighters and matches are allowed to pick them up on their way out of the museum.

Jixiang said the ban is aimed at bolstering the facility's smoking ban as well as reducing potential fire risks.