At least 20 people were killed in a major fire that engulfed a nursing home in northern China's Hebei province Tuesday night.
The fire in Chengde city, about 180km from the national capital Beijing, broke out at around 9pm local time and 20 people were confirmed dead by 3am on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
At least 19 people who suffered injuries were taken to a nearby hospital for further observation and treatment, while expert groups of the provincial administration were sent to the nursing home for "post-accident work".
An investigation was underway to find the cause of the fire, state media Global Times reported, adding that a “relevant” person in charge of the facility had been taken in by police. The report did not provide further details.
The investigation, consolation of the families of the victims and other work was being carried out “in an orderly manner”, the report added.
Fire hazards remain a problem in China, with dozens of people killed in fire-related incidents last year.
In January, a fire at a food market in Zhangjiakou city in Hebei province killed eight people and injured 15. In July last year, at least 16 people died in a fire at a shopping mall in southwestern China.
A fire at a residential building in the city of Xinyu in Jiangxi province killed 39 people in January last year. An investigation launched by the state council identified the fire as a production safety accident. It found the landlord of the building had illegally leased the basement in which an unauthorised cold storage facility was being constructed when the fire erupted.
More than 947 fire fatalities were reported in the first six months of 2024 in China, according to Li Wanfeng, a spokesperson for the National Fire and Rescue Administration.
A major fire at a hospital in Beijing in April 2023 killed 29 people. Patients trapped in the multistorey building tied bedsheets into makeshift ropes and escaped by climbing out of windows, according to video footage circulating on social media.
