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Fire Kills 38 at Seniors Home in China Fire Kills 38 at Seniors Home in China
(about 1 hour later)
BEIJING — A fire at a home for retirees in central China killed 38 people and injured six others, Chinese state media reported Tuesday. HONG KONG — A fire possibly caused by an electrical problem killed at least 38 people in a retiree home in central China, according to state news media reports on Tuesday.
The official Xinhua News Agency said the fire swept through an apartment building being used as a private home for seniors in Pingdingshan, a city in Henan Province, on Monday night. The blaze broke out shortly after 7 on Monday night in Pingdingshan, a city in Henan Province, state-run China Central Television reported. The main fire was extinguished after about an hour, but flames continued to burn in parts of the home for six more hours, the network reported on Tuesday.
Xinhua said that two of the injured were in serious condition and that a rescue operation was underway on Tuesday morning. The cause of the blaze was unclear.  Residents of the home told local news outlets that an electrical malfunction might have ignited the fire, but the authorities were still investigating the disaster and had not declared a cause.
With a rapidly aging population and an underfunded social security system, China faces increasing pressure to provide safe, affordable care for older people.  More than 100 people lived in the home, including at least 57 who needed assistance to move, Henan Television reported. In addition to the 38 confirmed deaths, six people were injured, including two who were in serious condition, Henan’s work safety administration said.
In 2013, a resident set fire to a retirement home in the northeastern Heilongjiang Province, killing himself and 10 others. China has been expanding retiree homes and hospitals to care for its rapidly aging population. Although safety problems have been reported in retiree homes, fatal fires are rare.
In 2013, a fire at a retiree home in northeast China killed 11, and investigators determined it to be an act of arson by one of the residents who died in the blaze.