29 Dead After Beijing Hospital Fire, Patients Clung to A/C Units and Tied Sheets Together to Escape
Investigators believe sparks from renovation work ignited paint that was sitting near Changfeng Hospital in western Beijing, according reports
At least 29 people have died after a hospital in China's capital city caught fire on Tuesday, forcing dozens of patients to flee the burning building.
The deadly blaze broke out at the Changfeng Hospital in western Beijing around 1 p.m. local time, according to the BBC and CNN.
Authorities said 26 patients were among those killed in Tuesday's fire, CNN and the Associated Press reported.
Li Zongrong, deputy head of Fengtai district, said a nurse, a medical assistant and a family member were also killed.
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Li Ang, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Health Commission, said 142 people — including 71 patients — were evacuated from the burning building, according to CNN.
Some of the survivors escaped through windows by tying bedsheets together, while others were pulled from exterior air conditioning units, CNN and the AP reported.
Multiple people appeared to jump from the building in footage shared to Chinese social media sites, according to the BBC.
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Authorities said Tuesday's fire left 39 people injured, including three who were in critical condition, according to CNN.
An investigation into Tuesday's fire is ongoing. Investigators believe sparks from renovation work ignited paint that was sitting nearby, according to the BBC and AP.
A dozen individuals were detained by police and taken in for questioning following the blaze, per the reports.
Among those detained is the hospital's director, the deputy director and the head of the hospital's construction crew, according to the BBC and AP.
This is one of the deadliest fires in China in recent years, but local media outlets reportedly did not report the blaze for several hours.
One person told China Youth Daily, a state-run newspaper, "Seven or eight hours have passed and I didn't receive a single phone call," according to CNN and the BBC.
Another relative told local media he just wanted to know if his loved one had survived, but was unable to connect with doctors or nurses, according to the BBC.
"How can the person just disappear out of thin air?" they said. "Neither the nurses nor doctors picked up their phones. My elderly relative doesn't have a phone on him."
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