China Captures Arson Suspect Following Karaoke Bar Fire That Killed 18

Authorities in southern China have captured a man suspected of starting the fire that killed 18 people and injured five others in a KTV karaoke lounge.

According to police, the blaze started in a three-story building in the city of Qingyuan, Guangdong, just after midnight on Tuesday morning. Liu Chunlu, 32, was caught by authorities in a nearby village after investigators offered a reward of $32,000 to anyone who provided information leading to his capture, reported Reuters.

"The suspect in the arson case, Liu Chunlu ... has been successfully captured," the police wrote on Weibo, a popular Chinese microblogging website.

Fire
A fire, which tore through a karaoke lounge in southern China, killed 18 people and injured 5 others on Tuesday morning. Youtube

The suspect blocked the only exit of the karaoke bar with a motorbike and set the building on fire after getting into an argument at the venue, state broadcaster CCTV said on their Weibo account. Police said the suspect suffered burns on his waist as he was committing the alleged act.

The public security bureau of Qingyuan City said fire, health, police and other departments responded to the blaze, which was called in shortly after midnight. The fire was extinguished by 12.55 a.m. local time. The five injured have been taken to hospital for immediate care and treatment.

In videos broadcast by local Chinese media, flames can be seen leaping from the windows of the building while fire trucks and pedestrians were on the road.

Although the exact location of the fire has not yet been revealed, it is known to have occurred in a KTV karaoke lounge, which usually consists of multiple rooms with their own karaoke equipment that people can rent out for hours at a time. State TV said the establishment was small and only had one corridor for entry and exit, which linked all the rooms together.

Deadly fires are frequent across China due to its relaxed enforcement of safety regulations.

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