BEIJING - A FIRE at the dormitory of a seafood company on Thursday killed 11 workers and injured 10 others in eastern China, an official said.

More than 80 firefighters and 10 fire engines rushed to put out the fire at the dormitory building of Jiayuan Michael Food, in the coastal city of Qingdao, said Mr Jiang Yonglian, a spokesman for the Qingdao city government office.

'We suspect it may involve electric appliances used to keep warm during cold weather. I do not have any more details about this,' Mr Jiang said in a telephone interview.

It was unclear how many workers were in the building when the fire occurred. Mr Jiang said the injured were being treated at a local hospital.

A report by Xinhua News Agency said Jiayuan Michael Food is a China-US joint venture established in 1998 that produces frozen fish. Calls to the company rang unanswered on Thursday.

Earlier this week, 11 girls died of carbon monoxide poisoning at a school in northern China's Shaanxi province, while another girl was being treated at a hospital.

A news report said the girls had lit a fire to keep warm. Carbon monoxide detectors are not required in schools in China, though the Education Ministry last year asked schools that can afford them to install detectors if they burn coal for heating. -- AP