TAIYUAN: A deadly fire erupted in a 40-storey multi-purpose building in the Shanxi province in northern China, claiming at least 14 lives and injuring 38 individuals as the fire spread from the lower part of the building to its upper floors.
The fire erupted in the Liuxiang subdistrict of Yingze district of Taiyuan, the provincial capital, which is a congested commercial area.
Clouds of smoke rose from the high-rise building as the emergency services rushed to put out the blazing fire.
Social media footage showed massive volumes of smoke rising from the towering high-rise building while firefighters in elevated cranes tried to put out the fire.
It seemed that the fire started in the lower annex and then spread to the upper parts of the building.
The building contains residential flats, hotel accommodations, short-term rentals and tutoring centers.
According to initial reports from state-run news agencies, the fire started on the fourth floor of the annex and later moved to the higher parts of the building, including hotel facilities.
The number of deaths rose sharply after the occurrence. At first, it was reported that five people had died but by Monday morning the number rose to 14.
38 individuals were rushed to the hospitals due to injuries while 25 were still admitted in the hospitals due to their injuries, with nine being seriously injured.
Efforts were made by emergency crews to rescue people trapped in the building as well as those affected by the fire.
A local authority investigation has been started in order to establish the causes of the fire that caused it to spread quickly throughout the building. There has not been any disclosure on the causes of the fire yet.
