SHANGHAI – Fire engulfed a high-rise apartment building under renovation in China’s business centre of Shanghai yesterday, killing 42 people and sending residents scrambling down scaffolding to escape, city authorities said.
The official Xinhua news agency cited a witness, saying the fire began when building materials had caught alight. The blaze spread to scaffolding and then to the 28-storey apartment block itself, which housed a number of retired teachers, it said.
The government said more than 100 fire trucks were called to battle the blaze, and streams of water could be seen flowing into the building which was shrouded in plumes of thick black smoke. The fire was largely put out about four hours later, it said. Firefighters could be seen taking bodies from the building.
Earlier reports put the toll at about eight dead and more than 90 injured. The death toll had risen by last night to 42, the Shanghai government said in a statement, which did not give an updated figure for the number of injured.
Photos posted online showed a man clinging to the scaffolding. A resident identified as Mr Zhou told Hong Kong broadcaster Phoenix TV that he and his wife were napping in their 23rd floor apartment when they smelled smoke. He said they climbed down the scaffolding four stories before being rescued by firefighters.
At one point helicopters could be seen hovering over the building, and witnesses said at least one resident was rescued, but thick smoke hampered further efforts. By evening the helicopters were gone.
(AP)