A devastating fire engulfed a school dormitory in central China’s Henan province, claiming the lives of 13 young pupils, as reported by Chinese state media. The incident occurred at the Yingcai School in the rural Fangcheng district on Friday night around 11 pm and was successfully extinguished just before midnight after a 38-minute battle, according to China’s state broadcaster CCTV.

The owner and manager of the privately-run school, situated in Nanyang City, were promptly detained, and an investigation into the fatal fire has been initiated.

The victims, all third-grade pupils aged around nine, were tragically lost in the blaze, as confirmed by a teacher speaking to Zonglan News, a state-backed media outlet from Hebei province. One additional person was found injured during the rescue and subsequently received treatment at a hospital. Authorities have yet to release further details about the victims or the cause of the fire.

A local business owner near the school described the harrowing scene, recounting the intensity of the flames and the desperate cries for help from the students. “The flames were intense, and the fire and smoke could be seen and smelled from a distance,” he shared with Beijing Youth Daily. “The cries for help from the students could be heard, and fire engines and ambulances were quickly on the scene.”

Yingcai School, primarily serving elementary-grade students with an attached kindergarten, is a boarding school, with many pupils hailing from rural areas.

This tragic incident sheds light on the ongoing challenges in China concerning fires, with lax enforcement of safety standards and violations of laws posing significant concerns for the government. The devastating event follows a series of high-profile incidents, including a November 2023 fire in Luliang City that claimed 26 lives and a restaurant explosion in the same month that resulted in 31 fatalities, prompting a nationwide campaign to bolster workplace safety. In April of the previous year, a hospital fire in Beijing took the lives of at least 29 people, leading to the detention of more than 12 individuals during the subsequent investigation.