Fire breaks out at Zigong dept store

The Jiuding Department Store in the Zigong High-tech Zone in the city of Zigong, Sichuan province, caught fire at 6:11 pm on Wednesday, sending off a large amount of smoke and stranding people inside it.

After receiving the fire alarm report, the command center of the Zigong City Fire and Rescue Detachment immediately dispatched 20 vehicles with 92 people to the scene, China Central Television reported.

The store has a total of 14 floors, and the fire points can be found on the first, fourth, fifth and sixth floors, according to CCTV.

As of 8:20 pm, the fire was extinguished, and the 17 trapped people have been rescued. As there are still people inside the store, rescue efforts are still underway, the center said.

At least six people were killed in the fire as of 10:30 pm, according to CCTV.