The Beijing fire control department has been conducting fire safety checks in high-rise buildings across the city since July, aiming to reduce fire risks and improve the response of firefighting staff this autumn.

"We ask each building property department to clean up any mess in corridors and on roofs, and ensure they have fire control devices," said Li Jin, deputy director of the authority, adding that the checks will continue through October.

Beijing Fire Control, which falls under the city's public security bureau, has also been checking the quality of insulating materials on outside walls, seeking to identify sub-standard materials that may present a fire hazard, he said.