Fourteen Killed as Fire Sweeps Through Apartment Block in Northern China

Fourteen people have died and more than 30 others were injured after a fire broke out in a high-rise apartment building in the northern Chinese city of Taiyuan on Sunday evening.

The fire started at the Haosheng International Apartment building in the downtown Yingze district at about 4:59pm local time on Sunday. Firefighters brought it under control in about two hours, and the rescue operation was completed by 8:30pm. Thirty-eight people were taken to hospital on Sunday night, five of whom had already died. By Monday morning, the death toll had risen to 14.

Officials believe the fire started on the fifth floor. The building was used for both homes and businesses, with a hotel, restaurants and children's training centres inside, close to hospitals, schools and shopping centres. A hotel worker said people on the eighth floor were among those hurt, and staff helped firefighters search for people still inside while parts of the building were burning.

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One guest, named Lan, told reporters he woke to the smell of smoke, grabbed a wet towel from the bathroom and headed for the emergency exit. On the way he met five other people, and together they kicked through a window grille and climbed onto a platform outside the building, where firefighters rescued them about 40 minutes later.

The district government said treatment for the injured was under way and an investigation into the cause of the fire was continuing. It is the second major fire in Taiyuan this year, coming just two weeks after city officials held a meeting ordering stricter checks on fire safety in high-rise buildings, coal mines, chemical plants and other high-risk sites. In March, a fire in another high-rise about six kilometres away killed three people and injured 23.