Seven children have died in a fire at an unlicensed private orphanage near Kaifeng, Henan province, Xinhua reports.
Four children died in the fire and three died on the way to the hospital. Another is in critical condition in hospital. State media said the dead children included five boys and two girls, all aged four or five.
The spokesman said it was unclear how many children were in the house when the fire broke out and how many were injured. Rescuers are still investigating the cause of the fire.
Yuan, a 48-year-old street vendor, was known in Lankao for sheltering abandoned children, especially those with disabilities, in her dilapidated stall near a public hospital in Lankao.
Yuan was not considered qualified to adopt abandoned children by Lankao's government, and authorities had arranged for a Kaifeng government welfare home to take in five children two years ago.