Suspect In Fatal Guangdong Fire Arrested

Police in Guangdong have caught a man suspected of setting a fire at a three-story building on Tuesday that killed 18 people and injured five others.

The public security bureau of Qingyuan City said authorities arrested a 32-year-old man named Liu Chunlu in the county-level city of Yingde, which Qingyuan oversees.

Police had offered a 200,000 yuan reward for the man they accuse of starting the fire early on Tuesday morning.

The bureau said the man had burns on his hips. It did not provide a motive for the arson, but China Central Television reported the suspect had set fire to a karaoke parlour after an argument with others.

The suspect blocked the entrance of the joint with his motorcycle and then ignited it, setting it ablaze, CCTV said. The parlour had only one passage for entering and exiting, the report said.

Police, fire, health and other departments sent rescuers to the site after receiving a call around half-past midnight about the fire, the Qingyuan police said.

The fire was put out at 12:55am and the injured had been sent to the hospital, the bureau said on its official Sina Weibo account. (AP)