Beijing: In a tragic development, at least 16 people were killed in a massive fire that broke out on Wednesday evening in the southwestern Chinese city of Zigong, according to state-run media. Firefighters and rescuers responded to a fire call shortly after 6 pm on Wednesday at the 14-story commercial building and pulled 75 people to safety.
Social media video posts showed clouds of thick black smoke coming out of windows from the building's lower levels and engulfing the entire 14-story structure as they rose into the sky. Huge flames were visible, and firefighters fought the fire with water sprays. Local media said firefighters also used several drones.
Preliminary investigation showed the fire was due to construction operations. Further investigation was underway to identify the specific cause of the fire. Nearly 300 emergency workers and dozens of vehicles were dispatched from the local fire department to the scene. Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire at 8:20 pm (local time).
Fire hazards and other deadly incidents are very common in China, which reported 947 fire fatalities in this year's first several months ending on May 20, up 19 per cent from the same period of the previous year, said Li Wanfeng, a spokesperson for the National Fire and Rescue Administration. Li said the number of fires in public places such as hotels and restaurants rose 40 per cent and that the most common causes were malfunctioning electrical or gas lines and carelessness.
In January, a massive fire in a building in China's Jiangxi Province killed at least 39 people due to unauthorised welding. The fire broke out in a street shop in the Yushui district of Xinyu, the local fire response emergency headquarters said. Following the mishap, Chinese President Xi Jinping has ordered steps to curb repeated occurrences of such accidents and to protect people's lives and property and social stability.
This incident happened days after at least 13 students were killed when a fire broke out in a school dormitory in central China's Henan province. All the victims were third-grade students. In February, at least 15 people were killed and 44 others injured when a building caught fire in Nanjing, the capital city of east China's Jiangsu Province.
In November last year, 26 people died after a large fire ripped through an office building in Luliang city in Shanxi province. A hospital fire in Beijing last April claimed the lives of at least 29 people -- mostly patients -- and triggered an investigation which saw 12 people detained by police for questioning.
(with inputs from agencies)
ALSO READ | China's economic growth sharply below forecast in last quarter as consumer demand weakens
