Society

Child playing with fire blamed for Xinjiang building blaze

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-07-30 03:55

URUMQI - A child playing with fire was found to have caused a residential building blaze on July 19 that left 12 people dead and 17 injured in the capital of China's far west Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, local authorities said Thursday.

Investigations have shown that the five-year-old had ignited objects that were on the staircase of the basement with wooden decorations, said a spokesman with the regional work safety committee.

The fire rapidly spread upstairs when 58 people were in the two-story building on Hebei Street in Urumqi.

The burning objects blocked the passage to the fire exit. The metal bars installed on the windows of the basement and the ground-floor rooms also prevented the residents from escaping.

The building was owned by a man, surnamed Hai. He leased 13 of the 18 rooms in his building to workers, who have migrated mainly from Sichuan, Gansu and Chongqing regions.

The fire broke out at 2:28 p.m. when the workers were having their noon break.