At least 53 people have been confirmed killed in a fire that gutted a high-rise apartment in China's commercial hub Shanghai, and the minister of police warned on Tuesday that such accidents may happen more often. The minister Meng Jianzhu made the warning after inspecting the 28-storey apartment building where the fire broke out on Monday afternoon while in the middle of renovations. China's rapid urban growth is throwing up vast numbers of new high-rise buildings, and while major fire disasters have been relatively rare compared to other developing countries, safety maintenance can be lacking. Meng said fire risks were rising. More than 70 people were hospitalized after the blaze, Xinhua news agency reported earlier. The Shanghai government information office later said the death toll had risen to 53. The cause of the fire was unknown, but a witness said he saw construction material burning before the flames climbed the scaffolding and spread, Xinhua reported. Meng, the police minister, sought to head off public disquiet about the blaze in Shanghai, a city with an urban population of about 13 million which just finished hosting an expo intended to showcase it as a modern, global metropolis. The Shanghai municipal publicity office said 25 fire units and more than 100 fire engines had been sent to the scene.
