Authorities Probe China Hotel Fire Cause

BEIJING (AP) -- Investigators combed through charred restaurant supplies, wiring and space heaters as officials said Tuesday they were still uncertain what caused a hotel fire that killed 33 people in an icy northeastern city during the Chinese New Year weekend.

The investigation into the fire Sunday night at the Tiantan Hotel in Harbin was continuing, said a government official at Harbin's city hall who gave only his surname, Wang.

Footage on Heilongjiang provincial television Monday night showed firefighters carrying injured and overcome people from the hotel, down steps covered with soot and debris.

Harbin's newscast also showed the gutted innards of the hotel, including burned parts of a restaurant, charred shelves of liquor and food supplies and broken windows. The official Xinhua News Agency said people kicked out windows to escape the fire and smoke.

Investigators were also shown examining wiring, space heaters and water-soaked corridors inside the burned hotel.

Sixteen people were hospitalized after the fire but were out of danger by Monday morning, Xinhua said. More than 100 were evacuated after the blaze, which broke out at 6 p.m. Sunday. Most of those killed and hurt suffered from smoke inhalation.

Harbin, a city of 9.1 million, is the capital of Heilongjiang province and sits on the Songhua River about is about 800 miles northeast of Beijing. Temperatures in Harbin last week fell to 5 below zero, and coal is widely used for heating.