22 killed, 3 injured after fire at restaurant in China’s Liaoyang

Chinese authorities said on Tuesday that 22 people have been killed and three were injured in a fire at a restaurant in the northern city of Liaoyang.

No word was given on the cause of the fire, which broke out shortly after noon, but images from the scene showed huge flames spurting from the windows and doors of the two- or three-story building.

Industrial accidents occur frequently in China, usually due to staff ignoring safety features due to a lack of training or pressure from their superiors.

Poorly maintained infrastructure, illegally stored chemicals and a lack of fire exits and fire retardant, often abetted by corruption, are often factors in such disasters.

If the fire began in the kitchen, it may be related to the traditional use of large open fires over which iron woks are used to braise dishes. Diners across China also enjoy a dish known simply as “hot pot” in which meat and vegetables are stewed over open flames.

Liaoyang, in Liaoning province, is part of China’s rust belt, a former industrial powerhouse that has fallen on hard times with considerable population outflow.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged all-out efforts to treat those injured.

This is the second major fire incident in China this month. On April 9, 20 elderly people were killed in a fire at a nursing home in north China’s Hebei province.

A total of 39 elderly people were in the building when the blaze broke out at the nursing home in Longhua county of Chengde city.