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This article is more than 1 year old

A fire in a karaoke lounge in southern China killed 18 people and injured another five, with police arresting a man soon after for suspected arson.



The fire started after midnight on Tuesday in a three-storey building in the city of Qingyuan in Guangdong province and was put out shortly before 1am local time, according to the police.

Police said the suspect, Liu Chunlu, was captured in a nearby village, after authorities offered a 200,000 yuan ($32,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a 32-year-old man with burn marks on his hips.

According to state broadcaster CCTV, the man got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building’s door and lit the fire.

Videos from the scene posted by local media show flames leaping from the building on a tree-lined street at night, with fire trucks and a crowd of onlookers on the road.

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The five injured people are receiving treatment in a hospital, state TV said.

Karaoke – or KTV – is a popular activity in China, with even shopping centres featuring booths where people can sit and sing their favourite songs.

Larger KTV lounges often span across many floors in a building, with narrow corridors linking dozens of individual rooms together. The lounge where the fire occurred was smaller, with only one corridor for entry and exit, state TV said.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.</s>A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five, as authorities arrested an arson suspect who had reportedly blocked the entrance with a motorcycle.

The fire started after midnight in a three-storey building in Yingde, a town within Qingyuan City in Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that it was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

The suspect got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building's door and lit the fire, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that he was on the lam.

Police said the suspect was captured in a village district, shortly after authorities offered a 200,000 yuan ($32,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a man identified as a 32-year-old with burn marks on his hips.

The police statement did not describe the location of the fire, but state media said it occurred in a small KTV house, or karaoke lounge.

Unverified videos from the scene posted by local media show flames leaping from the building on a tree-lined street at night, with fire trucks and a crowd of onlookers on the road.

The five injured people are receiving treatment in a hospital, state TV said.

Karaoke is a popular activity in China, with even shopping centres featuring booths where people can sit and sing their favourite songs.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.</s>A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five, as authorities arrested an arson suspect who had reportedly blocked the entrance with a motorcycle.

The fire started after midnight in a three-storey building in Yingde, a town within Qingyuan City in Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that it was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

The suspect got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building's door and lit the fire, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that he was on the lam.

Police said the suspect was captured in a village district, shortly after authorities offered a 200,000 yuan ($32,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a man identified as a 32-year-old with burn marks on his hips.

The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but state media said it occurred in a small KTV house, or karaoke lounge.

Unverified videos from the scene posted by local media show flames leaping from the building on a tree-lined street at night, with fire trucks and a crowd of onlookers on the road.

The five injured people are receiving treatment in a hospital, state TV said.

Karaoke is a popular activity in China, with even shopping centres featuring booths where people can sit and sing their favourite songs.

Larger KTV lounges proliferate as well, often spanning across multiple floors in a building, with narrow corridors linking dozens of individual rooms together.

The lounge where the fire occurred was smaller, with only one corridor for entry and exit, state TV said.

Merrymakers often go for a buffet dinner and sing and drink with a small group of friends in the private rooms late into the night.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.</s>Police in southern China have arrested a man suspected of starting a blaze in a karaoke lounge that killed 18 people

The suspect's arrest on Tuesday came shortly after authorities offered a reward for information on his whereabouts.

The fire in the city of Qingyuan in southeastern China broke out just after midnight in a three-storey building, police said on their official account on China's Weibo platform, adding that five people were injured.

"The suspect in the arson case, Liu Chunlu ... has been successfully captured," the police wrote on Weibo.

A reward of 200,000 yuan (about $31,676) had been offered to anyone who provided information leading to the capture.

The man had blocked the sole entrance of the KTV lounge with a motorbike before setting it ablaze, state broadcaster CCTV said in a Weibo post.

The public security bureau of Qingyuan City said the man had burns on his hips.

It did not provide a motive for the arson, but state broadcaster CCTV reported the suspect had set fire to a karaoke parlour after an argument with others.

Police, fire, health and other departments sent rescuers to the site after receiving a call around half-past midnight about the fire, the Qingyuan police said.

The fire was put out about an hour later, and the injured had been sent to the hospital, the bureau said on its official account on the microblogging site, Sina Weibo.

China frequently suffers deadly fires and industrial accidents, often blamed on negligence.

Authorities in Beijing, the capital, launched a 40-day "special operation" targeting fire code and building safety violations after an apartment fire last November killed 19 people, almost all migrants.

Last year, police arrested a man suspected of setting fire to a two-storey house in eastern China, killing 22 people. At that time, investigators discovered traces of petrol at the scene of the predawn fire in Jiangsu province and found all the doors of the house locked.

In 2013, a fire at a poultry processing plant in the northeastern province of Jilin led to 121 deaths.</s>A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China today, killing 18 people and injuring another five in a suspected arson case, police and state media said. The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police. A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account. “The public security authorities are stepping up their investigation,” it said. The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but the official Xinhua news agency said it occurred in a KTV house, or karaoke lounge. Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.</s>Police have caught a man suspected of setting a fire at a three-storey building that killed 18 people and injured five others in China.

The public security bureau of Qingyuan City in Guangdong province said authorities arrested a 32-year-old man named Liu Chunlu in the county-level city of Yingde, which Qingyuan oversees.

Police had offered a 200,000 yuan reward for the man they accuse of starting the fire early on Tuesday morning.

The site of the fire at a karaoke bar in Yingde City, south China's Guangdong Province. Photo: Deng Hua/Xinhua News Agency via AP

The bureau said the man had burns on his hips. It did not provide a motive for the arson, but state broadcaster China Central Television reported the suspect had set fire to a karaoke parlour after an argument with others.

The suspect blocked the entrance of the venue with his motorcycle and then ignited it, setting it ablaze, CCTV said. The parlour had only one passage for entering and exiting, the report said.

Police, fire, health and other departments sent rescuers to the site after receiving a call after midnight about the fire, the Qingyuan police said.

The fire was put out at 12.55am local time and the injured had been sent to the hospital, the bureau said on its official account on the microblog site, Sina Weibo.

China suffers frequent deadly fires and industrial accidents, often blamed on negligence.

Last year, police arrested a man suspected of setting fire to a two-storey house in eastern China, killing 22 people. At that time, investigators discovered traces of gasoline at the scene of the pre-dawn fire in Jiangsu province and found all the doors of the house locked.</s>A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five, as authorities arrested an arson suspect who had reportedly blocked the entrance with a motorcycle.

The fire started after midnight in a three-storey building in Yingde, a town within Qingyuan City in Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that it was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

The suspect got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building's door and lit the fire, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that he was on the lam.

Police said the suspect was captured in a village district, shortly after authorities offered a 200,000 yuan ($32,000) reward for information leading to the arrest of a man identified as a 32-year-old with burn marks on his hips.

The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but state media said it occurred in a small KTV house, or karaoke lounge.

Unverified videos from the scene posted by local media show flames leaping from the building on a tree-lined street at night, with fire trucks and a crowd of onlookers on the road.

The five injured people are receiving treatment in a hospital, state TV said.

Karaoke is a popular activity in China, with even shopping centres featuring booths where people can sit and sing their favourite songs.

Larger KTV lounges proliferate as well, often spanning across multiple floors in a building, with narrow corridors linking dozens of individual rooms together.

The lounge where the fire occurred was smaller, with only one corridor for entry and exit, state TV said.

Merrymakers often go for a buffet dinner and sing and drink with a small group of friends in the private rooms late into the night.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.

A blaze that killed 38 people at a nursing home in 2015 sparked soul-searching about safety standards in China. Courts jailed 21 people, including firefighters and government staff, over the fire last year.

The legal representative of the Kangleyuan Nursing Home was sentenced to nine years in prison for constructing an illegal extension to the property, while the contractor was given a six-year sentence for using flammable materials to build an extension.

In the days following the accident, China's top safety watchdog said the facility had poorly-designed fire exits, while safety checks, fire and electricity management, and the emergency response system were all found lacking.

More than two dozen people were killed in two fires in Beijing's migrant neighbourhoods late last year.

The first blaze, which killed 19 people in November, prompted authorities to begin tearing down unsafe buildings in the capital, driving hundreds of thousands of down on their luck residents out in the middle of winter.</s>Beijing: A Major fire broke out in a three storied building at karaoke lounge in southern China today, killing 18 people and injuring another five in a suspected arson case, police said.

The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson”The public security authorities are stepping up their investigation”.

Fire incidents are very common in China as experts reportedly say that the country has poorly designed fire exits. It also lacks proper fire, electricity management and an emergency response system.</s>A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five in what authorities suspect was an arson attack.

The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

“The public security authorities are stepping up their investigation,” the authorities in Qingyuan said.

The suspect got into an argument, then used a motorcycle to block the building’s door and lit the fire, state broadcaster CCTV said, adding that the suspect was on the lam.

The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but state media said it occurred in a small KTV house, or karaoke lounge.

A video from the scene posted by state-run daily Global Times on Twitter shows flames leaping from a building on a tree-lined street at night, as a crowd looked on and at least one rescue vehicle flashed its lights.

Singing karaoke is a popular activity in China, with even shopping centres featuring booths where people can sit and sing their favourite songs.

Larger KTV lounges proliferate as well, often spanning across multiple floors in a building, with narrow corridors linking dozens of individual rooms together.

The lounge where the fire occurred was smaller, with only one corridor for entry and exit, state TV said.

Merrymakers often go for a buffet dinner and sing and drink with a small group of friends in the private rooms late into the night.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.

Five of the injured are receiving treatment in a hospital, state TV said.

A blaze that killed 38 people at a nursing home in 2015 sparked soul-searching about safety standards in China. Courts jailed 21 people, including firefighters and government staff, over the fire last year.

The legal representative of the Kangleyuan Nursing Home was sentenced to nine years in prison for constructing an illegal extension to the property, while the contractor was given a six-year sentence for using flammable materials to build an extension.

In the days following the accident, China’s top safety watchdog said the facility had poorly-designed fire exits, while safety checks, fire and electricity management, and the emergency response system were all found lacking.

The first blaze, which killed 19 people in November, prompted authorities to begin tearing down unsafe buildings in the capital, driving hundreds of thousands of down on their luck residents out in the middle of winter.</s>The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly.

Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax. (Photo: Representational)

Beijing: A fire tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China on Monday, killing 18 people and injuring another five in a suspected arson case, police and state media said.

The blaze took place after midnight in a three-storey building in Qingyuan City, Guangdong province, and was put out shortly before 1:00 am local time, according to the police.

A preliminary investigation found that the fire was caused by arson, the Qingyuan public security department said on its Weibo social media account.

"The public security authorities are stepping up their investigation," it said. The police statement did not describe the location of the fire but the official Xinhua news agency said it occurred in a KTV house, or karaoke lounge. Deadly fires are common in China, where safety regulations are widely flouted and enforcement is often lax.
An alleged arson attack kills 18 in a karaoke lounge in Qingyuan, China. A suspect is arrested.