Thirty-nine others required hospital treatment, including three who were in critical condition, according to Li Ang, deputy director of the Beijing Health Commission.
Videos shared on social media appeared to show people using bedsheets tied together to escape through windows, while others sought safety on top of air conditioning units along the walls of the multistory building.
Zhao Yang, an official at Beijing’s fire department, said a preliminary investigation shows that the fire appeared to have begun after a spark from renovations ignited flammable paint stored at the hospital. Firefighters extinguished the blaze in about half an hour, Zhao said, adding that further investigations were underway.
The 12 people who were taken into custody Wednesday included the hospital’s president and construction workers, Li said, adding that they were detained on suspicion of “serious liability incidents.”
The Changfeng Hospital is best known for the treatment of vascular disease, in particular tumors in blood vessels.
In late February, the hospital said on WeChat that it had “strictly implemented” safety measures and “made solid deployments” to prevent fires. The post has since been deleted, and the hospital’s website was also taken offline.
According to Reuters, this week’s hospital fire is the city’s deadliest blaze since at least 2002, when 25 people died in a fire at an internet cafe.
But industrial fires are not uncommon in China: In 2015, a chemical explosion in the northern coastal city of Tianjin killed more than 170 people.
