Fire engulfs Shanghai residential block as oil and grain market goes up in flames
Yangpu district blocked off as firefighters battle the large fire
A fire in a warehouse was burning out of control in the Yangpu District of Shanghai on Wednesday night, local authorities said.
The fire broke out in a grain and oil wholesale market, mainland media reported, with pictures showing large flames sending up choking plumes of smoke.
State-run CCTV reported that the fire broke out in the market at Yangpu district at about 9:15pm, and there were no reports of casualties.
More than 30 fire engines were deployed to the scene, Shanghai-based news portal xinmin.cn reported, and roads near the scene are cordoned off.
Pictures of the blaze on social media showed a raging blaze engulfed a city block near apartment towers.
A local resident surnamed Kong told xinmin.cn that he was watching TV at home when the fire broke out.
“I suddenly heard people screaming, and I looked out of the window to see that there is fire outside the market,” he said. “The fire is spreading.”
Another local resident told the news portal that some windows of a nearby buildings were damaged.
Gigantic explosions in a warehouse storing dangerous substances in Tianjin in August had killed at least 173 people. Apartments near the site were damaged by the explosion, with homeowners demanding compensation from the government.
