BEIJING — A fire at a food market Saturday in northern China killed at least eight people and injured 15 others, state media said.


The fire at the Liguang market in the city of Zhangjiakou, northwest of Beijing, broke out midday Saturday and was mostly extinguished by 2 p.m., Xinhua News Agency reported, citing a government official in the Qiaoxi District, where the market is located.


"The injured have been sent to hospital for treatment and are currently not in life-threatening danger," the government official said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.


Such traditional markets are often tightly packed with shoppers seeking prices lower than at supermarket chains.


Fire sources can range from gas bottles to charcoal used to roast meat and discarded cigarettes while aging infrastructure, such as underground gas lines, has also been blamed for fires and explosions.


Footage shared online and geolocated by Agence France-Presse showed people outside the market fleeing the blaze while thick smoke billowed skyward.


Other videos showed firefighters battling the flames and carrying victims away from the scene.


Deadly fires are relatively common in China due to lax building codes and an often-slipshod approach to workplace safety.


A blaze in the major city of Chengdu in October left 24 people hospitalized with breathing difficulties, state media reported.


In July, a fire at a shopping center in the southwestern city of Zigong killed 16 people.


Zhangjiakou, located in Hebei province bordering Beijing, hosted events during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games.


Some information in this report is from Agence France-Presse.

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