CHINA: Fire engulfs furniture mall in northeastern China, Shanghai market fire kills six.

Record ID: 1962579

  • Title: CHINA: Fire engulfs furniture mall in northeastern China, Shanghai market fire kills six.
  • Date: 7th January 2013
  • Summary: SHANGHAI, CHINA (JANUARY 6, 2013) (ORIGINALLY 4:3) (CCTV - NO ACCESS CHINA) VARIOUS OF FIREFIGHTERS PUTTING OUT FIRE FIREFIGHTERS INVESTIGATING SITE OF FIRE MAN WALKING BY FIRE ENGINE EMERGENCY ROOM OF SHANGHAI'S CHANGHAI HOSPITAL MAN AND SURVIVOR LI YUMEI SITTING ON HOSPITAL FLOOR (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) SURVIVOR LI YUMEI, SAYING: "It was too quick. There was not even enough time to see where the fire started and what caused it. When I saw the fire, it was just everywhere. I even haven't seen such a big fire on the television." VARIOUS OF DOCTOR ATTENDING TO PATIENTS
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  • Location: China
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Disasters
  • Reuters ID: LVA52DW9YAPHC0I482F3M1HX7ZUR
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: A fire at a produce market in Shanghai kills six, while a separate fire engulfs a shopping mall in Harbin.

    A fire engulfed a furniture mall in northeastern China on Monday (January 7), while a separate blaze in Shanghai killed six on Sunday (January 6).
    Harbin resident Zhang Xiaohui, who owns a small clothing stand near the mall, said the fire started early in the morning.
    "I came here around between 8 and 9 o'clock and I saw the fire was huge, and there was smoke everywhere," he said.
    Over 10 fire fighting vehicles were working to put out the fire, and an ambulance was on hand, official Xinhua news agency reported, quoting a witness at the scene.
    Harbin police, Wei Jiazheng, said he believed very few people were inside the building when the fire broke out.
    "This usually should be a fire prevention cover and there should be many people but this department store has been newly-renovated, it just opened, and not for a long time, so I estimate there aren't many people inside," he said.
    Xinhua said the fire consumed an area of 9,400 square metres over the course of three and a half hours before being extinguished. Firefighters helped evacuate shoppers from the five-story building.
    Preliminary investigation showed the fire may have been caused by a welding accident, according to Xinhua.
    The number of casualties is still unknown, it added.
    On the previous evening, a fire raged through Shanghai's largest wholesale produce market, killing six and injuring over 10 on Sunday (January 6), Chinese state television CCTV reported.
    Xinhua said the fire started at around 8:30 pm local time (1230 GMT) in Shanghai's Pudong district and quickly spread.
    CCTV, quoting the fire department, said that the fire was completely extinguished the same evening.
    CCTV also said that all injured in the fire have been hospitalized and currently, seven people remain in Shanghai's Changhai hospital.
    Li Yumei escaped the flames without any injuries, but said five of her own family members were not so lucky and received serious burns.
    "It was too quick. There was not even enough time to see where the fire started and what caused it. When I saw the fire, it was just everywhere. I even haven't seen such a big fire on the television," she told CCTV on Monday.
    CCTV said local firefighters and paramedics are still searching for causalities, and the cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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