A fire that broke out at a shopping center in Zigong, Sichuan province, southwestern China, has claimed the lives of 16 people. The blaze began in the early evening on Wednesday and was extinguished by rescuers later that night, with rescue operations concluding around 3:00 am on Thursday (1900 GMT Wednesday).
Video footage broadcast by state media CCTV and shared on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the 14-storey building.The fire started in a shopping center at the base of the tower, prompting a swift response from local emergency services. Zigong’s emergency services department received news of the fire around 6:10 pm and quickly dispatched firefighters to the scene.
Later footage provided by a drone operator to AFP showed firetrucks and other first responders blocking off the road late at night, continuing to spray down the charred building.

Around 30 people were rescued from the complex, and the fire was reported to be under control by around 8:20 pm Wednesday, according to CCTV. However, by the time rescue operations concluded early Thursday, 16 individuals had lost their lives with no one left trapped inside, as confirmed by the local fire and rescue services cited by Xinhua.
Images of the incident, which were shared on social media, drew significant public attention. These images depict people gathered in front of the burning building, adding a harrowing visual account of the event. However, the authenticity of these images could not be immediately verified by AFP.
The emergency department has called on the public to ‘not to believe or amplify rumours’ about the fire.
Zigong is located approximately 1,900 kilometers (1,200 miles) from the Chinese capital, Beijing, and has a population approaching 2.5 million people.
Fires are not uncommon in China, often due to lax safety standards and poor enforcement. In January earlier this year, an illegal fire in a store’s basement in Xinyu resulted in numerous fatalities. The same month, a residential building fire claimed at least 15 lives, while another fire at a school dormitory killed 13 sleeping children.
In June last year, an explosion at a barbecue restaurant in the northwest of the country left 31 dead and prompted official pledges of a nationwide campaign to promote workplace safety.
In April 2023, a fire in a Beijing hospital claimed 29 lives and forced desperate patients to jump from windows to escape.