Hong Kong CNN —At least 15 people were killed in a fire thought to have been started by an electric bicycle parked at a high-rise residential building in eastern China early Friday morning, state media have reported. Forty-four people were also injured during the blaze that engulfed the 34-floor building in the eastern city of Nanjing, the media outlet CCTV said. Footage on Chinese social media showed a ball of fire spreading to the exterior of the building. The blaze was a trending topic on the Chinese social media platform Weibo on Saturday, being viewed more than 470 million times by the afternoon. A fire breaks out at a residential building in Nanjing on February 23, 2024. liangyishengmagua/WeiboFaulty electric bicycles have been reportedly linked to several blazes in the country in recent years.

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Persons: Chen Zhichang, “, ”, Hu Xijin, It’s, Hu Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, Investigations, Authorities, Nanjing, Nanjing government’s, Weibo, liangyishengmagua, Global Times Locations: Hong Kong, China, Nanjing, Weibo