Firefighters pull 75 people to safety as the investigation into the cause of the blaze is under way.

At least 16 people have been killed in a fire at a shopping mall in southwestern China, state media reported.

The blaze started in the 14-storey commercial building in the city of Zigong, in Sichuan province, on Wednesday night and firefighters were working at the site until early on Thursday, according to the Xinhua news agency.

Firefighters and rescue teams pulled 75 people to safety.

The fire started at the bottom of the building, which houses a department store, offices, restaurants and a movie theatre, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

A preliminary investigation found that construction operations triggered the fire, but a more detailed inquiry to determine the specific cause was under way, the authorities said.

Videos of the fire spread on social media, showing clouds of thick black smoke coming out of the windows from the building’s lower levels and engulfing the entire structure as they rose into the sky. The emergency department called on the public “not to believe or amplify rumours” about the incident.

Local media reported that firefighters used several drones and water sprays to extinguish the flames.

Fire hazards remain a problem in China, which reported 947 fire-related deaths from January to May 2024, up 19 percent from the same period of the previous year, said Li Wanfeng, a spokesman for the National Fire and Rescue Administration.

According to Li, the number of fires in public places such as hotels and restaurants rose to 40 percent, with the most common cause being malfunctioning electrical or gas lines and carelessness.

In January, a fire killed 39 people in a commercial building due to unauthorised welding in the basement.

The next month 15 people were killed in a residential building in the eastern city of Nanjing after an attached car park that had electric bikes caught fire.