GUANGZHOU, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Police have arrested a suspect believed to be responsible for a fire that killed 18 people and injured another five in a bar in south China's Guangdong Province early Tuesday.
Liu Chunlu, 32, confessed when he was arrested at his home in the city of Yingde, according to the city government.
"I was drunk last night and had been in a fight (before the fire)," Liu told police.
The fire was reported at around 0:30 a.m. in a bar in Yingde, and was put out by 0:55, according to a statement issued by police in Qingyuan which administers Yingde.
The injured are receiving treatment in hospital and are in a stable condition, doctors said.
Ye, owner of a restaurant next to the bar, said that he used extinguishers to help put out the fire.
"I used up all ten fire extinguishers, but the fire continued," Ye said. Ye's restaurant suffered a direct economic loss of more than 100,000 yuan (15,815 U.S. dollars), he said.
