Eight arrested in Shanghai high-rise building fire that killed 53

[News_Editor]

Eight arrested in Shanghai high-rise building fire that killed 53

2010-11-16 22:22:24 GMT+7 (ICT)

SHANGHAI, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Eight people have been arrested in Shanghai following the massive fire that broke out at a skyscraper in the Chinese city on Monday, state-run media reported.

The blaze, that left 53 killed and more than 70 injured, began on Monday at approximately 2 p.m. local time on the scaffolding of the residential high-rise located at the intersection of Jiaozhou Road and Yuyao Road in the Jing'an district.

The fire quickly spread to the 85-meter-high (280 feet) building itself and eventually put all 28 floors on fire, but most of the fire was extinguished by 6:30 p.m. local time as reports indicate that 25 fire units and over 100 fire engines were dispatched to the scene.

Authorities said the fire broke out after welding sparks struck the scaffolding while the building - which mainly houses retired teachers - was under renovation.

Zhang Renliang, chief of Jing'an District Government, said at a press conference that unlicensed welders were involved during the incident. Some of them were among the arrested. The Jing'an District Construction Corp. and Shanghai Jiayi Decoration Corp. were the contractors for the project, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

Of the 70 injured, 15 were in critically condition, deputy district chief Li Weiping stated.

During the fire, some people were seen surrounded by thick smoke as they sat on scaffolding in hopes to be rescued. Video footage showed some people being rescued by ladders, while others - higher up- decided to jump to their death to escape the flames.

Shanghai has a population of more than 19.2 million people.

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