12 killed in residential building fire in China

12 killed in residential building fire in China.

At least 12 people have died in a fire at a residential building in southern China. The fire broke out at 9:20 pm on Tuesday (December 9) in a building in Shantou city, Guangdong province. It was brought under control after about 40 minutes, the South China Morning Post reported, citing the country's state news agency Xinhua.

Local authorities said the fire damaged a four-story reinforced concrete structure and an area of ​​about 150 square meters (1,600 square feet). The Guangdong provincial government said on Wednesday (December 10) that a special investigation committee consisting of police, emergency management departments and discipline inspection officers had been formed to investigate the cause of the fire.

The ground floor of the building had been converted into a shop selling household goods and electrical appliances, according to a report by Chinese media outlet Jie Mian. A woman told the media on Wednesday morning that her parents, grandmother and younger brother had died in the fire.

Local authorities said that residents of the Chaoyang district, where the fire occurred, also use residential buildings for commercial purposes. In this case, living space and storage space are not separated.

Most of these buildings have only one staircase and windows with grilles. There are no emergency exits. In some cases, electrical wiring is not installed properly, which increases the risk.

Last month, a massive fire at a residential complex in Hong Kong's Tai Po district killed about 160 people. The fire, which burned for about 43 hours, spread to seven high-rise buildings. About 5,000 people lost everything in the incident.