Society

Police identify those dead in E. China blaze

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-12-15 18:14

HANGZHOU-- Police in east China's Zhejiang Province said Wednesday they had identified the nine people who died in a deliberately lit fire and believed they knew who the arsonist was.

The fire broke out Monday night in an apartment in Quzhou City of Zhejiang.

Related readings:  Arson feared in fatal fire that killed 9  Arson likely cause of fire that killed 9  Fire kills 9, injures 2 in E China

DNA test results and investigations showed the dead included eight men and a women aged 28 to 53, said Zheng Zenglin, deputy head of the Quzhou City Public Security Bureau, at a news conference held Wednesday afternoon.

Zheng said, seven of the nine dead were locals of Quzhou, while the other two were from the eastern Fujian Province.

He said police had confirmed the blaze was caused by arson and had a suspect in mind. But he did not provide details about the suspect.

The fire was lit at about 8:15 pm Monday in an airtight, ground-floor apartment of an 8-story residential building in Kecheng District, killing nine people at the scene and injuring two others.

An autopsy report said the nine people died of carbon monoxide poisoning.