In addition to the 13 fatalities, one other person sustained injuries. Teachers at the school said the victims were all third-graders, or about nine years old, according to Hebei-based media outlet Zonglan News.
“The fire response team reached the location promptly and managed to put out the fire by 11.38pm,” Xinhua reported.
The person injured in Friday’s blaze is in stable condition and undergoing treatment in hospital, Xinhua reported.
Beijing hospital fire: private facility offered long-term care for the elderly
Beijing hospital fire: private facility offered long-term care for the elderly
Yingcai School is located around 20km (12.4 miles) from the county seat of Fangcheng county.
Sichuan-based Cover News reported that locals described the school as a “township private primary school” established around 10 years ago and primarily serving local pupils, most of whom board at the school.
One nearby shopkeeper told Cover News the school bus had taken most of the children home for the weekend, leaving only about a dozen on campus on Friday night. Many of those left on campus had families living far away or parents working elsewhere, so nobody could pick them up.
Another business owner near school said he rushed to the scene during the fire.
“The flames were intense, and the fire and smoke could be seen and smelled from a distance,” he told Beijing Youth Daily. “The cries for help from the students could be heard, and fire engines and ambulances were quickly on the scene.”
Following the incident, leaders from Henan province and the nearby city of Nanyang rushed to the site and established a command centre to deal with the situation, Xinhua reported.
They launched an investigation into the cause of the fire and are managing the aftermath, and the person in charge of the school has been taken into custody, according to Xinhua.
