The deaths of five firefighters during the New Year holiday in Northeast China have raised questions among the public about the level of professional is mamong the country's firefighters.

The fire, which occurred on Friday afternoon at a ware-house in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, caused the collapse of the building that housed the warehouse eight hours after the fire began. The collapse killed the five firefighters and injured 13 other firefighters and a security guard.

All residents of the building and nearby had been safely evacuated, according to a statement from the local government. The cause of the accident was under investigation, the statement said.