According to local officials, a fire broke out in a residential building in Nanjing city, China’s eastern region, resulting in the death of 15 individuals and injuries to 44 others.
According to officials at a press conference, the fire began on the first floor of the building on Friday morning. An initial investigation indicates that the cause of the fire was electric bikes stored on the first floor.
The structure can be found in the Yuhuatai area of Nanjing, a metropolis with a population of over 8 million, approximately 260km to the north-west of Shanghai.
The fire was put out by 6am (2200 GMT) and the search-and-rescue mission concluded around 2pm on Friday, according to officials.
44 individuals who were injured were taken to the hospital for medical care, according to sources.
In recent months, China has experienced a series of fatal fires. This has led President Xi Jinping to urge for serious contemplation and increased measures to reduce the frequent happening of safety incidents.
In January, a store in the central city of Xinyu caught fire, resulting in the deaths of multiple individuals. According to state news agency Xinhua, the fire was started by workers using fire in the basement of the store.
A fire occurred shortly after a previous one at a school in Henan province, China. The second fire took place during the night and tragically claimed the lives of 13 students who were sleeping in a dormitory.
A teacher from the school informed the Hebei Daily, a state-run publication, that all the casualties were students in the third grade, aged nine and ten.
According to local news sources, the fire was believed to have been sparked by an electric heating device.
In November, a fire at a coal company office in Shanxi province, northern China, resulted in 26 fatalities and numerous hospitalizations.
In the previous month, a blast at a BBQ eatery in the northwestern region of the nation resulted in the deaths of 31 individuals and sparked promises from officials for a country-wide effort to enhance workplace safety.
In April, a fire at a hospital in Beijing resulted in the death of 29 individuals and caused panicked survivors to jump from windows in order to flee.
Source: theguardian.com
