BEIJING — A fire at a vegetable market in China’s northern province of Hebei killed eight people and wounded 15, state television CCTV said on Saturday (Jan 4).
Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire in the city of Zhangjiakou, which was doused just over an hour after it broke out at about 8.40 am, the broadcaster added.
“The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment and are currently not in life-threatening danger,” CCTV said.
Huge dark billows of smoke hung over the market in the city’s Qiaoxi district, videos posted by other media on China’s Weibo microblogging site showed, along with large flames.
Identified as the Liguang vegetable market in some media, it opened in 2011 and sells items ranging from fruit and seafood to electronics, company data provider Qichacha said.
Such traditional markets are often tightly packed with shoppers seeking prices lower than at supermarket chains.
Fire sources can range from gas bottles to charcoal used to roast meat and discarded cigarettes while aging infrastructure, such as underground gas lines, has also been blamed for fires and explosions.
Zhangjiakou hosted events during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.
