An ice and snow amusement park in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province, caught on fire on Thursday morning following an explosion heard by nearby residents. As of Thursday noon, seven people have been rescued from the incident and they are in a non-life-threatening condition.

Online video clips show clouds of thick smoke billowing out of the complex on fire and two people attempting to escape through the windows.

The incident happened at around 10 am at the ice and snow park, which is situated on the second floor of a commercial complex crammed with stores selling construction materials in Linping district, Hangzhou, according to media reports.

As of Thursday noon, seven people rescued from the incident have been rushed to hospital including five who were burned and one inhaled poisonous smoke. None of them are in life-threatening condition at present.

The fire was put out as of 11 am and the scene of the accident has been cordoned off as of Thursday noon, but yellow smokes with pungent odors mixed of the burning of cardboard and saltpeter can still be smelled, reported thepaper.cn.

Several witnesses nearby said they heard explosions before the complex caught on fire. According to a resident, the ice and snow park has a skating rink section. Apart from shops selling construction and decoration materials in the complex, there are also many shops nearby selling electric bikes and vehicle-related commodities.

Rescue work by the local fire brigade, public security and health departments is still underway as of press time and the cause of the incident is under investigation.

Global Times