Ten killed in China nursing home fire

BEIJING– Ten elderly people were burned to death in a fire at their nursing home in China early Friday, state media reported.

The blaze broke out at the facility in Hailun, in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang, in the early hours of the morning and firefighters took an hour to put out the fire, said the People’s Daily website.

A total of 283 senior citizens were living there, all of them incapable of work and with no family support, the report said. Most residents were evacuated promptly but 10 died, it added.

The nursing home started operation in 2005 and has 450 beds.

The cause of the fire was still under investigation, said the report.