Fire at Fuji Factory in Southern China Kills Eight Workers

Agence France Presse, 6 June 2000

BEIJING, Jun 6, 2000—(Agence France Presse) Eight female workers died in a fire at a Fuji factory in the southern port city of Xiamen, official media reported Tuesday.

The fire happened about 3:00 a.m. Saturday when 252 people were working at the Xiamen Fuji Electrochemical Co. Ltd. in Fujian province, the China Daily said.

A preliminary investigation showed the fire started at a depot in the northern part of the factory, the report quoted a local fire prevention officer as saying.

The fire was put out after an hour.

Factory fires and explosions have become frequent nationwide, the report quoted the Public Security Ministry as saying.

In the first quarter of the year, 971 people were killed in 36,832 fires nationwide, according to statistics from the ministry.