Fourteen people died and dozens more were hospitalized after a massive fire tore through a 40-storey mixed-use building in Taiyuan, the capital of northern China’s Shanxi province, state media reported on Monday.
The blaze broke out around 4:59 p.m. local time on Sunday in the Yingze district’s Liuxiang subdistrict.
Firefighters extinguished the open flames by 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, and search and rescue operations concluded by 8:30 p.m., local authorities reported. Video footage verified by Reuters showed thick smoke billowing over the high-rise structure while firefighters poised on cranes outside fought flames spreading upward from a lower annex.
At least 14 people have died and dozens were injured after a fire tore through a residential building in Taiyuan, the capital of northern China's Shanxi province, state news agency Xinhua reported on Monday. Read more: https://t.co/MMpW5UMK4E pic.twitter.com/rlu6EMRFtf
A total of 38 people were rushed to hospitals for treatment following the incident. While the initial death toll recorded late Sunday evening stood at five, the count rose to 14 by Monday morning as several injured victims succumbed to their wounds.
A total of 38 people were sent to hospitals for treatment, among whom five have died,
Xinhua News Agency, official state media
Of the individuals remaining under medical care, authorities specified that 25 people stayed hospitalized, with nine patients suffering from serious injuries, while others received treatment for conditions including burns and respiratory distress caused by smoke inhalation. The city mobilized medical resources across both municipal and provincial levels, assigning an individual treatment plan and dedicated support team for each hospitalized patient.
The affected property is a mixed-use commercial and residential high-rise located on a busy downtown main road near hospitals, schools, commercial centers, and tourist sites. The structure houses apartments, short-term rental accommodations, small businesses, and tutoring centers, alongside a hotel situated on the eighth and ninth floors. State media reported that the fire appeared to originate around the fourth floor of the lower annex before reaching the upper hotel levels.
During a press briefing held on Monday afternoon by the Publicity Department of the Taiyuan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, officials announced that management personnel of the property owner and personnel in charge of the property management company have been placed under control measures.
The Taiyuan municipal government immediately activated an emergency response plan, establishing a task force to oversee medical treatment, accident investigation, accountability, and family assistance. Local authorities are investigating the exact cause of the disaster in the northern manufacturing hub.
Following the accident, municipal authorities announced plans to conduct a citywide campaign aimed at comprehensively inspecting, identifying, and addressing workplace safety risks, with a primary focus on fire safety and high-risk industries. Deadly fires have previously occurred in China due to lax building codes and slipshod approaches to workplace safety.
Notable recent incidents include a major fire that engulfed several tower blocks in Hong Kong, a residential building fire in southern China’s Guangdong province that killed 12 people, and a fire that engulfed a shoe factory in eastern China.
