BEIJING: A fire that broke out in a residential building in southern China killed 12 people, state media reported Wednesday.
The blaze at the four-story building in Shantou, Guangdong province, erupted around 9:20 p.m. on Tuesday, and was extinguished just after 10:00 pm, the local fire department said in a statement.
It comes after a huge blaze last month engulfed several high-rise residential towers in Hong Kong, neighboring Guangdong, killing 160 people.
“The building on fire was a four-story self-built reinforced concrete structure,” the Chaonan District Fire and Rescue Team said, adding that the blaze had affected an area of 150 square meters (1,600 square feet).
“Investigations into the cause of the fire and aftermath handling work are being conducted in an orderly manner,” it said.
