China apartment fire kills 14, latest in string of deadly blazes

Beijing, November 9 - A fire at an apartment building in Taiyuan, Shanxi province, claimed at least 14 lives, according to state media reports updating the tally from the day before. The deadly blaze occurred around 5pm local time on Tuesday, as noted by the official Xinhua news agency. Xinhua subsequently reported that 38 people were taken to hospitals for treatment, with five of them succumbing to their injuries, bringing the death toll to 14 as of the following morning.

The fire was brought under control by authorities on Tuesday evening, with search and rescue operations concluding by then, Xinhua further stated. The origin of the inferno is still under investigation. In response to a string of fatal fires, China launched a crackdown on fire hazards in high-rise structures last November. This move followed a catastrophic blaze in Hong Kong that claimed the lives of 168 people in the same month.

Another fire at a residential building in Guangdong province took 12 lives a month later, while a fire at a shoe factory in eastern China claimed at least 28 lives in July of the same year.