Man arrested after 22 die in house fire in eastern China

A pre-dawn fire in a twostorey house in eastern China killed 22 people and injured three, authorities said yesterday.

Authorities arrested a man after investigators discovered traces of petrol at the scene of the pre-dawn fire in Jiangsu province and found all the doors of the house locked, according to the national work safety agency.

The house, located in the city of Changshu, about 50 miles north-west of Shanghai, was used as a dormitory for 29 people working at a local restaurant. The residents were mostly migrant workers in their twenties working as waitresses and cooks.

Three people were injured in the blaze.

The man who was arrested is surnamed Jiang.

Changshu’s city government said the fire broke out at around 4:30am.