At least 12 killed in central China warehouse fire

[News_Editor]

At least 12 killed in central China warehouse fire

2011-07-12 22:08:07 GMT+7 (ICT)

WUHAN, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- At least 12 people were killed after a fire broke out at a warehouse in the central region of China, officials said Tuesday morning.

The fire broke out at around 9:25 a.m. local time, in a multi-story warehouse used by a latex firm and trade company in Wuhan, the capital of China's central Hubei Province, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Emergency teams were able to rescue eight people from the fire and transported them to a local hospital, but no information was disclosed regarding their health condition. There were three children among the 12 fatal victims.

A Fire Department spokesman said the fire might have been caused by a short circuit in an electrical outlet on the warehouse's first floor, trapping most of the people on the second floor. The fire spread over an area measuring more than 1,000 square meters (3,280 square feet), and it took around two hours and about 170 firefighters to put out the fire.

The warehouse, which is owned by an automobile company, is located in an industrial park in the city's economic and technological development zone.

Police cordoned off the area to conduct ongoing investigations, as Wuhan's mayor Tang Liangzhi and party chief Ruan Chengfa arrived at the scene to monitor the fire fighting and rescue work. Fire safety regulations have been apparently violated in several of the warehouses since many workers have also used the areas as workshops and temporary dorms.

In a separate incident, another building caught fire in Wuhan at around 2:50 p.m. local time. No deaths or injuries were reported, but firefighters were struggling to put out the fire.

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