2010-03-29 07:28

CHANGCHUN - Fire-fighters are struggling to quench a fire early Monday that has been raging through a seven-story shopping mall in the northeastern Chinese city of Changchun since Sunday night.

The blaze started at about 8 pm Sunday from the second story of the Tianyuan shopping mall and spread upwards gradually in downtown Changchun, capital of Jilin Province.

Dozens of fire-fighters and 43 fire engines have been dispatched to combat the blaze.

The casualties and property losses were not immediately known.

The Tianyuan shopping mall is the largest distribution center of daily use accessories in Jilin, with three markets and a business area totaling 10,000 square meters. It has two warehouses each covering 8,000 square meters.

The shopping mall started operation in 1995.