BEIJING (AP) -- A fire that killed 33 people in a northeastern China restaurant during Lunar New Year celebrations was started by a kerosene stove, a state-controlled newspaper said Wednesday.
Citing a preliminary investigation, China Daily reported that an employee of the Tiantan Jiudian in Harbin poured kerosene into a stove that was already burning, sparking the fire.
The fire Sunday evening at the restaurant also injured at least 16 people, all of whom were out of danger Wednesday.
The blaze began during the busy dinner hour, when 300 customers and staff were ``crammed into the privately owned restaurant,'' China Daily said. Sunday was the height of the Chinese Lunar New Year Holiday, when elaborate family meals are typical.
All 33 victims died of smoke inhalation and all the bodies have been identified, China Daily said. It said all the victims were from Heilongjiang province, where Harbin is the capital.
Such lethal fires in recent years have drawn the scrutiny of the central government, and this one was no exception. China's public security minister, Zhou Yongkang, demanded that experts be dispatched to fully investigate the accident, China Daily said.
Harbin officials have ordered a comprehensive safety inspection throughout the city.
