BEIJING: A fire at a vegetable market in north China killed eight people and injured 15 on Saturday, local authorities reported.

“The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment and are currently not in life-threatening danger,” the Qiaoxi District People’s Govern­ment said after the blaze in Zhangjiakou city, northwest of Beijing.

The fire at the Liguang market broke out at around 8:40am (0040 GMT) and was extinguished after 10:00 am, the district government said. The cause of the blaze was under investigation.

Footage shared online and geolocated by this news agency showed people outside the market fleeing the blaze while thick smoke billowed skywards. Other videos showed firefighters battling the flames and carrying victims away from the scene.

Deadly fires are relatively common in China due to lax building codes and an often slipshod approach to workplace safety.

A blaze in the major city of Chengdu in October left 24 people hospitalised with breathing difficulties, state media reported. In July, a fire at a shopping centre in the southwestern city of Zigong killed 16 people.

Published in Dawn, January 5th, 2025