Death toll in central China fire climbs to 14
Updated: 2011-07-13 10:30
(Xinhua)
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WUHAN -- The death toll in Tuesday's fire that ripped through a two-story warehouse in central China's Wuhan city has climbed to 14, the local government said Wednesday.
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 A firefighter works at the site where a warehouse caught on fire Tuesday morning in central China's Wuhan city. The death toll has climbed to 14 as of today.[Photo/Xinhua] |
Fire fighters retrieved two bodies from the charred building at 9:40 pm, said Ding Shisong, director of the city government's emergency response office.
The blaze, which is believed to have been triggered by a short circuit in an electrical outlet on the warehouse's first floor, began at around 9:25 am.
About 170 firefighters spent two hours to put out the fire.
Though most people in the warehouse managed to flee the warehouse after the fire broke out, at least a dozen were trapped on the second floor.
Three children were among the dead.
The warehouse in an industrial park is owned by an automobile company, but has been rented by a trade firm and a latex company, local authorities said.
The building was used as workshops and temporary dorms for some workers, which apparently violates fire prevention rules. Some victims were the companies' employees and their family members.