Shanghai fire victims identified

SHANGHAI - The city of Shanghai fell into mourning for the 53 victims of the fire that engulfed a downtown high-rise residential building on Tuesday. Over 70 people were injured. It housed 156 families of retired school teachers.

The building, located at the intersection of the Jiaozhou and Yuyao roads, was being renovated when it caught fire at around 2.00 p.m. The blaze was brought under control at 6.30 p.m. after more than 100 fire engines were put into service. Helicopters were sent to rescue people trapped on the roof.

Police arrested four unlicensed welders who were working on energy-saving renovations when sparks from their equipment allegedly spread to bamboo scaffolding and nylon nets shrouding the building. The city's deputy police chief, Cheng Jiulong, said eight people had been held, but did not identify them.

Unsafe building work remains a serious problem in China. Last year, a nearly finished 13-storey block of flats in Shanghai collapsed, killing one worker. Investigations showed excavated dirt piled next to the building could have caused the collapse.

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