Fire kills 15 at south China ceramics factory

A fire at a ceramics factory killed 15 people and seriously injured one Tuesday in south China's Guangdong Province, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Tuesday, citing local authorities. The fire broke out at 6:18 a.m. (2218 Monday GMT), engulfing a building of the Shengfeng Ceramics Company in Foshan city, the provincial fire department said. The building has both dormitories and offices inside, the report said. The local authorities blamed the large number of casualties on the building's poor fire alarm system and flammable interior decoration materials. Over 100 firefighters and 24 fire trucks were mobilized to extinguish the blaze which was put out about two hours later. The reinforced concrete building was put into use in 2003, with each floor covering 1,100 square meters. In April, 17 people were killed and 24 others injured in a building fire in Beijing suburb.