Five people have been killed and nine others taken to hospital with burn wounds after a fierce fire broke out at residential house in Beijing’s Chaoyang District in China early Wednesday.
Fire department said the fire was triggered by flames from two electric bicycles and gutted a village house in Shibalidian Township around 1:18 am.
Police on Wednesday detained the house owner as they found the house was self-built for rental, says a Xinhua news agency report.
Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee, and Chen Jining, acting mayor of Beijing, inspected the fire scene and visited the injured in hospital.
The fire happened less than a month after a dorm fire killed 19 in the city's southern district of Daxing on Nov 18, which was caused by an electric wire fault.
The city officials urged a thorough safety overhaul of illegally operated business venues and houses leased for group tenants in Beijing. Owners of the properties should be held responsible for the house safety.
