Fire in China apartment building kills 14: state media

A fire in an apartment building in Yingze district of Taiyuan, Shanxi province, China, claimed the lives of at least 14 individuals, according to state media on Monday. The incident occurred on Sunday, with the blaze breaking out around 5 pm in the Liuxiang subdistrict. Firefighters managed to extinguish the flames by 7 pm, and the search and rescue operations concluded at 8:30 pm.

A total of 38 people were sent to hospitals for treatment, with five fatalities reported, raising the death toll to 14 on Monday. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation. This tragic event adds to the growing list of deadly fires in China, which are often attributed to lax building codes and an indifferent approach to workplace safety.

Recent incidents include a fire in a shoe factory in eastern China that killed at least 28 people in July, and a fireworks factory blast in New York that killed one and injured 14. Beijing has launched a campaign against fire hazards in high-rise buildings following a devastating fire in Hong Kong last November that claimed 168 lives.