GUANGZHOU - A fire at a ceramics factory killed 14 people and injured two others Tuesday morning in the southern province of Guangdong, local fire authorities said.

The fire broke out 6:18 am, engulfing a building of the Shengfeng Ceramics Company in the Sanshui district in the city of Foshan, said an official with the provincial fire department.

Among the casualties, 12 died in the fire and another two died after jumping from the four-story building, said the official.

Over 100 firefighters were mobilized to extinguish the blaze which was put out about two hours later.

The factory's legal representative is now in police custody and the cause of the fire is under investigation.