Chopper used to extinguish fire in Shanghai

A firefighting helicopter was used for the first time yesterday to help douse a blaze at an empty workshop in Shanghai's Minhang District.

After the fire broke out at 3:13pm, 22 fire engines were sent to tackle it.

However, the plastic foam in the unit's walls created huge amounts of black smoke and officers struggled to bring the blaze under control. To help them out, the specially equipped chopper was dispatched and the fire was extinguished at 4:51pm.

No one was hurt in the incident.

An investigation concluded that the fire was caused by a spark from welding equipment, said local firefighting authorities.

The people responsible are now in custody, police said.