On the morning of November 15, a fire broke out near the railway station in Bengbu City, Anhui Province. Some people who witnessed it said they saw black smoke at 6 a.m. According to Bengbu daily, the fire was located on the first and second floors of the West 851 building of the Railway Hotel, with a total of more than a dozen houses. At 9:10 a.m., the open fire in the commercial and residential building was extinguished, and there were fire-fighting and civilian workers walking in the corridor on the third floor. There are more than ten fire engines, two water guns to reduce temperature and smoke, and two 120 ambulances on standby. At 9:27, many people were rescued at the scene, and the search and rescue is still in progress.
At 9:30 a.m., Bengbu fire control issued a fire notification, saying that at 6:57 on November 15, the command center of Bengbu Fire detachment received an alarm that the front room opposite the new Dong'an hotel was on fire and many people were trapped. The Municipal Fire detachment immediately dispatched 5 squadrons and 13 fire engines to the rescue disposal. At 7:50, the open fire was put out. Fire commanders and fighters then carried out a search to confirm whether there were trapped people. After on-site investigation, a total of 5 single facade rooms were burned, and some spread on the second floor. A total of 21 people were rescued at the scene. One person was injured when he escaped and jumped from a building in the early stage. He has been sent to hospital without life-threatening.
Red Star News reporter called Bengbu fire brigade, and the staff replied that the cause of the fire was under investigation, subject to the notification.