The China Mail - Fire in Northern China Apartment Building Kills 14

A fire in an apartment building in northern China has killed at least 14 people, state media reported on Monday, marking a significant rise from the initial death toll announced the previous evening.

The blaze erupted around 5:00 pm (0900 GMT) on Sunday in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province. According to the official Xinhua news agency, flames were extinguished on Sunday night, and search and rescue operations have since been completed.

Xinhua initially reported on Sunday evening that 38 individuals had been sent to hospitals for treatment, with five fatalities confirmed at that time. By Monday morning, the agency raised the death toll to 14. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Deadly fires are a recurring issue in China, where building codes are often poorly enforced and workplace safety standards are frequently ignored. This incident follows a series of major fires across the country over the past year.

In November last year, China launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings following a massive blaze in Hong Kong that killed 168 people. A month later, a fire at a residential building in Guangdong province in southern China claimed 12 lives. In July of this year, a fire at a shoe factory in eastern China killed at least 28 people.

The circumstances surrounding the Taiyuan fire are still being examined by authorities.

S.Davis--ThChM