Chinese Skyscraper Fire: 15 Dead, 44 Injured

A fire at a residential building in eastern China’s Nanjing killed at least 15 people and injured 44 others, local authorities said Saturday.

The fire broke out early Friday morning, according to officials during a news conference, and a preliminary examination indicates that it began on the building’s first level, where electric bikes were stored.

The structure is in Nanjing’s Yuhuatai area, a city of over eight million people located around 260 km northwest of Shanghai.

The fire was put out by 6:00 am, and authorities reported that the search and rescue effort came to an end around 2:00 pm on Friday.

Footage circulating on Chinese social media showed a skyscraper on fire in the middle of the night, with black smoke billowing from it.

Other photographs show massive flames burning many stories of the structure, with the flashing lights of rescue vehicles visible in the darkness.

The additional video, which appears to have been captured later, shows white smoke coming from various spots in the building.

Officials said the 44 injured people were sent to the hospital for treatment.

They reported that one was in critical condition and the other was gravely hurt.

At a news conference, city mayor Chen Zhichang expressed his sympathies and apologized to the victims’ families.

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