PRELIMINARY investigations from a local emergency management bureau showed that the fire that claimed seven lives Monday in Zhaozhou County of Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province, was an accident, China Central Television (CCTV) reported yesterday.

At around 2 p.m., the county’s fire brigade received an alarm call reporting that a single-story steel structure makeshift building for private business in Fengle Township was on fire, local government said Monday.

At 2:40 p.m., the open flames were extinguished at the scene, with an area of 280 square meters affected by the fire.

The building was illegally built by a villager surnamed Meng in the yard of his relative’s home, CCTV said.

It was used to store a kind of yellow paper that is made to resemble money and burned as an offering to the dead. Several workers were carrying the paper when the accident occurred.

Three of the victims are relatives of Meng and the other four were Meng’s fellow villagers.

The governments of Daqing and Zhaozhou have set up a team to carry out relevant aftermath work.

A series of extensive inspections to detect and eliminate major safety hazards will be launched across the city.

(China Daily)