5 arrested for negligence after fire

Five officials and police officers have been arrested for negligence of duty after a fire in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, according to a statement from the Guangzhou Intermediate People's Procuratorate.

The five include Lin Jianshu, deputy director of the mediation department under the Guangzhou city bureau of justice, and Chen Yunqiao, deputy director of the anti-fire department under the Guangzhou city bureau of public security.

Huang Lichuan, head of the Guangtajie police substation, and two police officers were also under arrest.

Investigators found the five accountable for a blaze that broke out at the uncompleted Jianye Mansion in Guangzhou's Yuexiu district on Dec 15.

The fire burned floor space of more than 12,500 square meters and caused direct economic loss valued at more than 40.66 million yuan ($6.7 million). More than 700,000 pairs of leather shoes were burned in the fire.

The fire was finally brought under control more than 12 hours after it started.