10 killed in fire in north China port city

FILE: Authorities say 10 people have died in a fire in a mixed residential-office building in a northern Chinese port city where scores were killed in an explosion two years ago. (Pixabay photo)

BEIJING — Authorities say 10 people have died in a fire in a mixed residential-office building in a northern Chinese port city where scores were killed in an explosion two years ago.

The fire department in Tianjin says the blaze broke out at 4 a.m. Friday and was extinguished in less than three hours. It says the cause is unknown but that one individual is being held as part of the investigation. The official Xinhua News Agency says materials used for interior decoration are believed to have contributed to the blaze.

In 2015, an explosion traced to improperly stored chemicals killed at least 173 people in Tianjin, which lies on the Bohai Sea coast about an hour east of Beijing.

China suffers frequent deadly fires and industrial accidents, often blamed on negligence.