THE deadly building fire that killed 39 in East China’s Jiangxi Province was caused by illegal use of fire, said local authority at a press conference Thursday morning.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday urged efforts to curb the repeated occurrence of various kinds of safety accidents and to protect people’s lives and property and social stability following the street shop fire in the city of Xinyu in Jiangxi.

The fire took place at approximately 3:30 p.m. in a street shop in the Yushui District of Xinyu. As of press time, 39 people have been killed and nine were injured.

Premier Li Qiang urged rescue personnel to work against the clock to find people who remain trapped, and do their best to treat the injured and reduce casualties.

The fire broke out at around 3 p.m. Wednesday after workers doing refurbishment of a cold storage inside the basement used fire illegally.

According to Xu Hong, mayor of Xinyu, heavy smoke soon engulfed the first and second floors, trapping students at training facilities there and people in a hotel.

Some students from higher vocational schools were among the dead, and the local government is trying to comfort the families of the victims.

A total of 12 responsible people were put into custody and are being investigated by the public security authorities.

After the incident happened, 118 rescuers with 20 fire engines rushed to the scene, putting out the fire at 6:50 p.m. The rescue operations concluded at 8:50 p.m., with no remaining people trapped, said Gong Junhui, head of the fire brigade of Xinyu.

The city has launched an inspection to identify hidden fire hazards in all educational institutions. (Xinhua)