BEIJING — At least 14 people died on Sunday when fire swept through a high-rise building in Taiyuan, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.
By Monday, 25 people were still in hospital, nine of them seriously injured, state media said, citing authorities in Taiyuan, the capital of Shanxi province in northern China.
The fire broke out on Sunday evening in the building, which stands on a busy main road in downtown Taiyuan. Video posted online showed smoke pouring over the 40-storey structure while firefighters on cranes fought flames that were spreading upward from a lower annex.
The state broadcaster said the fire appears to have started around the fourth floor of the annex. From there it spread to the eighth and ninth floors, which house a hotel.
The building is a mixed-use commercial and residential property. Along with homes and the hotel, it holds short-term rental apartments, smaller venues and tutoring centres, the broadcaster’s report said.
Crews put the fire out after about two hours. Authorities said rescue work wrapped up by 8:30 p.m. on Sunday, after 38 people had been taken to hospital.
What started the fire is not yet known. Authorities are investigating the cause in Taiyuan, a manufacturing hub in northern China, state media said.
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