Beijing house fire kills 5

BEIJING -- Five people were killed and nine others injured after a residential house caught fire in Chaoyang district, Beijing, on Wednesday morning.

The fire broke out at 1:18 am in a village house in Shibalidian township, according to the fire department. The injured were brought to hospital.

The fire was triggered by flames from two electric bicycles, said the fire department. Police on Wednesday detained the house owner as they found the house was self-built for rental.

Cai Qi, secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Beijing Municipal Committee, and Chen Jining, acting mayor of Beijing, inspected the fire scene and visited the injured in hospital.

The fire happened less than a month after a dorm fire killed 19 in the city's southern district of Daxing on Nov 18, which was caused by an electric wire fault.

The city officials urged a thorough safety overhaul of illegally operated business venues and houses leased for group tenants in Beijing.Owners of the properties should be held responsible for the house safety.