Sixteen people have died in China after a fire incident at a shopping centre.

Reports had it Thursday morning that the incident occurred at the shopping mall on Wednesday in the southwestern Chinese city of Zigong.

Firefighters got to the fire shortly after 6 pm at the 14-storey commercial building, pulling 75 people to safety, official news agency Xinhua reported.

It has not been determined by press time what caused the fire or how many people were in the building when the fire broke out in the building which houses a department store, offices, restaurants and a movie theater.

Videos have shown clouds of thick black smoke coming out of windows from lower levels and engulfing the entire 14-storey-building as firefighters fought hard using water sprays and drones.

China had by May this year reported 947 fire fatalities, up 19 percent from the same period of the previous year, said Li Wanfeng, a spokesperson for the National Fire and Rescue Administration who added that fires in public places such as hotels and restaurants rose 40 percent.

Most of the incidents resulted from electrical faults, the official said.

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