Taiyuan high-rise fire kills five, injures 38
A fire in a Taiyuan high-rise building on Sunday killed five people and injured 38. Trapped residents broke windows and waved for help. The cause is under investigation.
A fire broke out in a high-rise building on Liuxiang South Road in Yingze District, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, on Sunday afternoon, killing five people and injuring 38, with trapped residents breaking windows and waving for help.
According to CCTV, the fire was extinguished around 7pm and search and rescue operations ended at about 8.30pm. Of the 38 people taken to hospital, five died despite resuscitation efforts.
The Yingze District emergency management bureau said businesses on the first to third floors were mostly training institutions, the fifth to seventh floors were vacant and the eighth and ninth floors housed a hotel. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
Videos circulating online showed multiple floors ablaze, with flames shooting from windows and thick smoke billowing, while people stood at windows calling for help. Nearby shopkeepers said that around 5pm, someone shouted "Fire!" and they saw flames on several floors.