Five Chinese Firefighters Killed in Collapse

A warehouse collapse in the northeastern Chinese city of Harbin last night has claimed the lives of five firefighters and injured 13 others.The bodies of two firefighters who had been out of contact were accounted for today, increasing the death toll to five in the northern Heilongjiang province tragedy, Central China Television have reported.A security guard was also thought to have been injured in the blaze at the ceramics market warehouse, but that has not been officially confirmed.Three of the injured remain in critical condition.The fire erupted about 1pm. Firefighters had moved on to the second floor to clear paper and plastics inside and to douse flames above them when the floor collapsed.There are conflicting reports on when exactly the fire was extinguished, with some media outlets saying it was out by 7pm, while others saying it was still burning nine hours after it begun. The warehouse, located in Daowai district, covered more than 1000 square metres and was at the bottom of a residential building, which was evacuated, local media reported.