Shanghai fire death toll at 6(2)

Twelve people were injured, including an 8-year-old boy and a 9-year-old girl. The children are receiving treatment in Changhai Hospital and are in stable condition. 

Eight of the wounded came from the same family. Liu Faru, a distant relative of the family, said they ran the seafood business in the market. Of the eight, five are in the intensive care unit, two are in a public ward and one has been discharged.

Ma Bing, a doctor at Changhai Hospital, told Xinhua News Agency that only three patients suffered serious, but not life-threatening, burns.

According to Zhou Meiliang, a spokesman for the local firefighting authority, more than 500 firefighters and 57 fire engines were sent to battle the market blaze. "More than 100 stores in the market were affected," he said. "Winter is a fire-prone season."

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

Shanghai Farm Produce Wholesale Market is Shanghai's biggest market of its kind. It was reopened to the public on Monday afternoon.

At about 9 am on Monday morning, a fire broke out in downtown Harbin, capital of Northeast China's Heilongjiang province.

The fire burned 9,400 square meters in the Guorun Home Textiles Shopping Mall, but no casualties were reported.

"At about 9 in the morning, the mall was open and there were some customers. Then security staff asked us to leave the mall, saying the thick smoke from a fire could harm us," said a property owner at the mall.

"Half an hour later, the fire grew bigger, I wanted to save my goods, worth 300,000 yuan, but security stopped me," the property owner said.

An onlooker told China Daily that some workers were welding, which may have ignited decorative materials outside the building.

"The fire has now been contained and the cause of the accident is under investigation," said Guo Ping, a spokesman from the local command headquarters.

On Thursday, more than 350 firefighters were sent to battle a factory blaze in Wenzhou, Zhejiang province. No casualties were reported in the fire.

On Jan 1, three firefighters died after becoming trapped while battling a factory blaze in Zhejiang's Hangzhou.