Fire at market in northern China kills at least eight people and injures 15

According to state media, 15 people have been injured and at least eight have been killed in a fire at a market in Hebei, northern China.

According to Xinhua News Agency, a government official in the market’s Qiaoxi district, the fire at the Liguang market in Hebei’s city of Zhangjiakou broke out on Saturday around noon local time (04:00 GMT), which was mostly extinguished two hours later.

After the fire, state broadcaster CCTV reported that “the injured have been sent to a hospital for treatment,” and that they are not currently in danger of dying.

Authorities were looking into the fire’s cause, according to CCTV.

Large flames and huge dark billows of smoke were seen in videos posted on China’s Weibo microblogging site.

According to company data provider Qichacha, the Liguang vegetable market, which opened in 2011 and sells everything from fruits and seafood to electronics.

Such traditional markets frequently have a high demand for lower prices than those found in supermarket chains.