A ban of children under 18 fighting fires has been introduced by authorities in Northeast China's Liaoning province.

"Firefighting work is dangerous and minors are not physically and mentally competent to do it," Cao Gang, an official with Liaoning Fire Services Department, told China Youth Daily.

Confronted with a fire, minors should know how to protect themselves and flee the scene safely instead of fighting the fire, said Cao.

The new regulation, effective from March 1, is likely to spark a controversy following the case of teenage firefighting icon – Lai Ning who died in 1988 from fighting a wild fire and then was labeled as a national young hero – becoming a role model and worshiped by most teenagers born after 1970s and 1980s.

However, protecting minors is a major issue among the public and such a regulation is likely to be welcomed by most.

China should intensify the practice of protecting minors and the improvement in Liaoning's regulation is necessary, China Youth Daily reported quoting Sun Yunxiao, deputy director of China Youth and Children Research Center.

The huge transformation from "learning from Lai Ning" to "banning the underage from fighting fire" reflects a huge change in social concept in China, said some students' parents.