A fire at a shopping center killed 16 people yesterday in the southwestern Chinese city of Zigong, state media reported, the Associated Press reported , quoted by BTA.
Shortly after 6 p.m., firefighters and rescuers responded to a fire alarm in the 14-story commercial building and brought 75 people to safety, Xinhua news agency reported.
For now, it is not known what caused the fire and how many people were in the building when the fire broke out. The building has a department store, offices, restaurants and a cinema.
Videos on social media showed clouds of thick black smoke billowing from windows on lower levels, engulfing the entire 14-story building as it rose into the sky. Huge flames can be seen, and firefighters are extinguishing them with water jets. Local media said firefighters also used several drones.
Fire hazards remain a problem in China, which reported 947 fire deaths in the first few months of this year. That's up 19 percent from the same period last year, said Li Wanfeng, a spokesman for the National Fire and Rescue Administration.
According to Li, the number of fires in public places such as hotels and restaurants has increased by 40%, and the most common causes are faulty electrical or gas installations and negligence.
In January, a fire killed 39 people in a commercial building in southeastern China's Jiangxi province. The cause of the fire was unauthorized welding activities in the basement.
In February, 15 people died in an apartment building in the eastern city of Nanjing after a parking lot with electric bicycles caught fire.