19 people die in housing block fire in Beijing, China

Eight people have been injured and 19 have lost their lives after a fire in a southern district of China’s capital city, Beijing, broke out with deadly impact.
The cause of the blaze is currently unknown, but it took firefighters numerous hours to eventually bring the fire – which emerged overnight on the 19th November – under control.
The fire itself broke out in the Daxing district, which is an area that is mostly inhabited by migrant workers from the inner provinces, who have moved to this area as they generally need cheaper accommodation than what’s on offer in the city centre.
In addition to this, the fire broke out in an an area that has several small clothing factories.
Over 30 fire engines turned up in force containing no less than 14 firefighting teams to tackle the blaze, and it took them more than three hours to successfully extinguish the fire.
The fire department said in the aftermath of the blaze that some of the people who found themselves trapped inside the building were taken to hospital for treatment.
The fire has come at a time with high levels of tension in Beijing, after a beautification campaign that was put in place by the authorities in the city centre actively tried to shut down market stalls that are deemed ‘unsightly’.
Rights campaigners have claimed that the drive in question has also included a forceful removal of migrant workers, as they’re being pushed further from the city centre – to districts such as Daxing.