Fire at northeastern China nursing home kills 11, including arsonist

HAILUN, CHINA (BNO NEWS) -- Ten elderly residents were killed early Friday morning when a patient set fire at a nursing home in northeastern China, apparently in revenge after he accused another resident of stealing money from him, local authorities said. The suspect was also killed in the blaze.

The blaze broke out at around 1:15 a.m. local time on Friday at the inpatient building of the Lianhe Senior Nursing Home in Hailun, a city in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. There were a total of 32 people inside the building when the fire broke out, and more than 280 people live throughout the entire complex.

Investigators said the blaze was set by 45-year-old resident Wang Gui, who was admitted to the nursing home in April 2010 because he suffered from cerebral thrombosis but had no one taking care of him and no source of income. He became angry on Thursday afternoon after he believed another resident had stolen money from him.

The provincial government said Wang accused the resident of stealing 200 Chinese Yuan ($32.6) from him and became enraged, shouting at staff members and smashing windows. Staff members later believed Wang had calmed down, but he became angry again later during the night and set a fire in the building.

Local authorities confirmed eleven people were killed, including Wang, while two other residents suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation. Municipal leaders convened a meeting later on Friday and decided to fire the head and deputy head of the nursing home, although a government statement did not say why they were dismissed.

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