Three dead and more than 25 injured in critical condition after a high-rise building in China caught fire on Saturday evening.
As reported by the Xinhua News Agency, the fire broke out at a building in China's northern Shanxi province at around 8 pm on Saturday, and the open flames were largely extinguished the same night.
Fire and rescue personnel conducting search and rescue operations inside the building said that the structure that caught fire and a hotel are located in the same building, with the point of origin situated on the eastern side, where a north-south thoroughfare runs.
By 1:00 am Sunday, local time, extensive burn marks were visible on the exterior wall of the building’s eastern side, while several storefronts adjacent to the passage were gutted by the fire and sustained severe damage.
In addition to that, multiple on-site fire videos posted by netizens show that the blaze was largely concentrated on the exterior walls of the building.
Moreover, several electric bicycles parked in front of the storefronts were also burned down to bare metal frames.
As reported, the passage of the building was strewn with debris—much of it residue from burned aluminum composite panels.
Additionally, the cause of the blaze is under investigation, and follow-up work is ongoing as officers continue to assess the situation following the exact cause that led to the incident.
Notably, the same building caught fire in November 2023, where 26 people reportedly died.
