Twelve held over central China fire that killed 39: State media
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Citing the local authorities, state news agency Xinhua reported that the cause of the blaze had been the “illegal” use of fire by workers in the store’s basement.
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BEIJING - Twelve people have been taken into police custody for their alleged role in a deadly fire in central China’s Jiangxi province, state media said on Jan 25.
At least 39 people died and nine others were injured after a fire broke out at a store in the city of Xinyu on Jan 24.
The fire started in a basement where cold storage units were being renovated and workers “used fire illegally”, Xinhua said, without elaborating.
The fire spread and thick smoke poured into the second floor, which had a hotel and an educational centre for students preparing to attend university. Xinhua did not say how many of the dead were students.
“Heavy smoke soon engulfed the first and second floors, trapping students at training facilities there and people in a hotel,” Xinhua quoted the city’s mayor, Mr Xu Hong, as saying.
President Xi Jinping called for “deep reflection” after the fire and greater efforts to “curb the frequent occurrence of safety accidents”. Xinhua reported that he also called on officials to protect “social stability”.
The fire came just days after a late-evening blaze at a school in central China’s Henan province
In November, 26 people were killed and dozens were taken to hospital after a fire at a coal company office in northern China’s Shanxi province. AFP
