Illegal garment shop fire kills at least 17 people in Beijing
08:59 AM Apr 26, 2011
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An illegal garment shop in a four-storey building in southern Beijing caught fire early yesterday, killing 17 migrant workers and family members who may not have been able to escape because of bars on the windows.
Another 24 people were hurt in the fire, which broke out at 1am local time, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. It said the fire had been put out but did not immediately give a cause for the blaze.
The first-floor garment shop was unlicensed and the floors above it were used to accommodate workers, it said.
Iron bars installed over windows to keep out burglars may have prevented people from escaping, it said.
Xinhua quoted Mr Chang Hongyan, the deputy government head of the local Daxing district, as saying most of the dead died of smoke inhalation.
Building fires are common in China because of lax safety codes and unsafe construction work.
In November, 58 people were killed in a Shanghai apartment fire that was blamed on welders ignoring safety precautions.
Xinhua also reported yesterday that firefighters were battling a blaze after an explosion at a pesticide factory in Guangxi region in southern China.
It said there were several collapsed buildings but that it was not immediately known if there were any casualties. AP
Another 24 people were hurt in the fire, which broke out at 1am local time, China's official Xinhua News Agency said. It said the fire had been put out but did not immediately give a cause for the blaze.
The first-floor garment shop was unlicensed and the floors above it were used to accommodate workers, it said.
Iron bars installed over windows to keep out burglars may have prevented people from escaping, it said.
Xinhua quoted Mr Chang Hongyan, the deputy government head of the local Daxing district, as saying most of the dead died of smoke inhalation.
Building fires are common in China because of lax safety codes and unsafe construction work.
In November, 58 people were killed in a Shanghai apartment fire that was blamed on welders ignoring safety precautions.
Xinhua also reported yesterday that firefighters were battling a blaze after an explosion at a pesticide factory in Guangxi region in southern China.
It said there were several collapsed buildings but that it was not immediately known if there were any casualties. AP
(source:todayonline.com)
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