A wholesale vegetable market in the Chaoyang District of Beijing burned down on early Sunday morning, destroying 50 lorries and their loads. No one was hurt in the incident. The cause of the fire is being investigated.
The blaze, which engulfed 300 square metres, was reported at 2am on Sunday. The Chaoyang fire department dispatched six squads of fire and 32 fire engines. A rescuer said that the inferno spread quickly due to the strong winds and cold temperatures, as well as the existence of large number of sheds at the market, reported Sina News.
The fire has led to the inflation of the prices of vegetables. Several vegetable sellers said that the wholesale price of Chinese cabbages increased from 0.9 to 2 yuan. It is estimated that the fire could cause up to RMB 5 million in losses, China News reported.
