18 held for apartment blaze that killed 19
Beijing police have detained 18 people over a fire in an apartment that killed 19 people on Saturday night.
The fire broke out at a three-story flat at Xinjian Village, in Daxing District, in Beijing’s southern suburb.
Eight of the victims were younger than 18. Eight people were taken to hospital. Seven of them are out of danger, the other remained in a critical condition.
Preliminary investigation showed there was a 5,000 square meter refrigeration facility that was under construction in the apartment’s basement.
Firefighters suspected the fire might have started there.
The 18 detainees include seven who managed the apartment building, seven electricity workers, and four construction workers at the refrigeration facility. None of the 11 workers has the relevant qualifications, police said.
More than 400 people lived in the apartment building, and the residents have been relocated.
