69 hurt in China market blaze

16 fire fighters were among 69 people injured in a fire which swept through a large market area and damaged a hotel in Changde, Central China's Hunan Province Tuesday.

"There are no reports of death so far," Zhang Zhiping, a senior official with the local government was quoted as saying by China Daily.

Witnesses said the fire broke out in a small shop in the Qiaonan Market at about 0700 hrs and soon spread northwest

to a nearby hotel.

Flames continued through the evening, burning an area of 20,000 square metres, said Zhang. The cause of the fire remains unclear.

The 69 injured were mostly shop owners but included 16 fire-fighters, the report said. Some guests in the neighbouring hotel were also injured, said Zhang.

Built in the 1990s, the multi-storied Qiaonan Market includes more than a 100 small shops selling textiles, clothes and electronic products.