High-rise building fire claims one life in Guangdong

One person was confirmed dead after a loud explosion was heard and a fire broke out Wednesday afternoon in a high-rise building at Phase II of the Shenzhen Bay Yuefu residential complex, located in Nanshan district of Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province, local fire officials said.

According to a news release from the Shenzhen Fire Department, the fire started around 2:46 pm and was extinguished by 6 pm, with no other reported injuries or casualties.

The department dispatched 16 fire trucks and 80 firefighters to the scene, though the cause of the fire is still under investigation.

When a reporter from China Daily arrived at the scene around 4:45 pm, the exterior of the building showed no visible flames, but smoke was still rising from the area where the fire was believed to have started.

Firefighters were using aerial ladders to continue their rescue efforts. The fire affected at least four to five floors of the building, with two floors suffering severe damage and their exteriors nearly completely burned. Other floors showed varying degrees of glass damage.

As the situation unfolded, Keyuan South Road near the MixC shopping center was closed in both directions to facilitate emergency operations.

Witnesses described hearing a loud explosion along with the fire. Firefighters reported that by 4 pm, open flames on the 27th, 28th and 29th floors had been extinguished, but firefighting efforts were still ongoing on the 30th floor.

Rescue teams conducted searches throughout the building, evacuating four residents, all of whom were found to be conscious and alert.

One witness told China Daily she saw a burnt fabric falling from the fire-affected floor around 2:58 pm. She also claimed that a minute later a person fell down from above. Later, the person was taken away in an emergency medical vehicle.