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China firemen battle market blaze Three dead in China market blaze
(about 7 hours later)
Firefighters in northwest China are battling to contain a blaze in a market complex, state media has reported. Three firefighters were killed in north-west China as they battled to contain a blaze in a market complex, state media reported.
Almost 200 firefighters were on the scene at Dehui International Plaza in Urumqi, capital of the remote Xinjiang region, Xinhua news agency said. The fire started at the 12-storey Dehui International Plaza in Urumqi, capital of the remote Xinjiang region, late on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency said.
The plaza, a 12-storey building full of stalls, normally holds around 2,000 workers, Xinhua said. Almost 200 firefighters tackled the blaze, which spread to a hotel.
It is not known how many people were in the building when the fire broke out on Wednesday night. The hotel has now been evacuated, but it is not clear how many people were in the market complex, Xinhua said.
An official at the Urumqi Fire Office told the Associated Press news agency that firefighters were still trying to put out the blaze on Thursday morning. The fire broke out at about 2020 on Wednesday.
"There must be some casualties, but we're still not sure about the number," he told the agency. Some 2,000 vendors work in the complex, which contains a mixture of offices and stalls selling clothes and toys,according to Xinhua.
Forty-eight fire engines were at the scene and the area had been cordoned off, Xinhua said. The market had closed at shortly before the fire broke out and not many people were left in the building, the agency quoted a security guard as saying.
Firefighters battled for more than 12 hours to contain the blaze before giving up amid fears the building could collapse.
The fire at the adjacent hotel has been brought under control, Xinhua said. The top floors of the plaza remain on fire.