Skyscraper fire kills 10 in northern China

A skyscraper fire in the northern Chinese port city of Tianjin killed 10 and injured five early on Friday, state media reported.

The fire broke out around 4 a.m. on the 38th floor of a serviced apartment building near the city centre, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Damage to a skyscraper can be seen after a fire broke out around 4 am on the 38th floor of a serviced apartment, in Tianjin, China December 1, 2017. Photo: Reuters

Xinhua said the fire had been extinguished and that early indications were that the blaze was caused by interior decorating materials used in a renovation catching fire. State broadcaster CCTV said renovation workers working on site were among the casualties.

Fire safety has come under scrutiny in China after a deadly blaze last month killed 19 in the far southern fringe of Beijing, which has led to citywide evictions seen by some people as unfairly targeting the vulnerable underclass.

Tianjin party secretary Li Hongzhong said authorities would carry out citywide fire safety inspections in response to Friday’s blaze, the official Tianjin Daily reported.