China: suspect of fire arrested with 18 dead

The Associated Press
Beijing, China.- Police in a southern Chinese city detained a man suspected of causing a fire that killed 18 people and wounded five others.

Authorities arrested Liu Chunlu, 32, in the city of Yingde, which depends on Qingyuan City, said the city’s public security office in Guangdong province.

The police had offered a reward of 200,000 yuan ($ 32,000) for the man, whom they accused of starting a fire in a threestory building early Tuesday morning.

The suspect had burns on the chains, authorities explained. He did not offer a reason for the fire, but state television China Central Television reported that he had set fire to a karaoke venue after an argument with others.

The suspect blocked the entrance of the building with his motorcycle and then set it on fire according to CCTV. The karaoke had only one entry, he added. Police, firefighters and doctors came to the area after being alerted of the fire after midnight, said Qingyuan police.

The flames were extinguished at 00:55 and the wounded were taken to a hospital, the office said on its official website of the Sina Weibo microblog platform.