China mall fire kills 17

China mall fire kills 17

Beijing, February 6

At least 17 persons were killed and four others injured in a major fire triggered by a nine-year-old boy who was playing with a lighter at a multi-storey wholesale market in China.

The fire broke out yesterday afternoon in a warehouse on the fourth floor of the merchandise wholesale market at Huidong county in the southern province of Guangdong, police said today.

The fire started after the boy fiddling with a lighter set afire an inventory in the warehouse, they said.

The blaze quickly spread to the entire floor, killing 17 persons and injuring four fire fighters, the police said.

The fire was so severe that 270 firefighters and 45 fire engines were mobilised to extinguish the blaze.

The child was been taken to police station for further questioning, Xinhua news agency reported. — PTI