18 killed in China factory fire  

山东寿光火灾致18人死亡续：厂区阻燃效果很差

11月9日是全国的消防日，但是11月9日这个消防日过去的第7天，在山东的寿光，也就是蔬菜之乡了，在一个洗胡萝卜的车间里头突然发生火灾，也就是在昨天晚上七点的时候，谁也没想到结果导致18人死亡，13人受伤.[查看全文]

Eighteen people died in a fire at a food packager on Sunday evening in east China's Shandong Province, local authorities said Monday.

Fire broke out at 7 p.m. at a carrot packaging workshop belonging to Longyuan Food Co. Ltd. in Shouguang City, and was extinguished by around 9:30 p.m. according to Shouguang municipal publicity officials.

"The fire was serious and many workers fled," said the owner of a restaurant some 50 meters away.

"The fire engulfed 100 meters of workshop in less than a minute," said Liu Fangping, a migrant worker from northwest China's Gansu Province. "Some workmates and I responded quickly and escaped through the windows, but many who did not move fast enough were overcome by the heavy smoke."

Zong Ming, a worker from a neighboring county, said many of the dead were long-time employees who worked 10 months a year for a monthly salary of some 5,000 yuan (820 US dollars).

Thirteen people are being treated for injuries, two of whom are in a serious condition, one life-threatening.

The results of preliminary investigations show that 140 people were in the building at the time, and the blaze was caused by a faulty freezer. Search and rescue efforts were concluded at 9 a.m. Monday.

The managers of the company have been questioned by police and the investigation into the cause of the accident continues.

Founded in 1998, Longyuan Food is an export-oriented firm, with 200 employees and an annual production capacity of 50,000 tonnes.