A man set a fire to a woman's apartment during a quarrel, which sent all of the building's other residents running to safety, Xinmin Evening News reports.

At around noon on Saturday, several urban security workers sharing living quarters at Nanyang Lu in the Jing'an District heard a man scream, "I will burn your apartment down if you don't open the door!"

Then they heard someone else shout "Fire! Fire!" The security guards immediately rushed to the scene, where some residents were fleeing while others dashed in and out of the building trying to put out the flames.

Firefighters arrived soon after to fight the blaze while police took the man and woman who had been quarrelling into custody.

It was later learned that the man had set fire by throwing a burning piece of paper into the flat through a window.

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