Fire in Beijing hospital kills at least 21, forces dozens to escape from windows

A fire killed at least 21 people at a hospital in Beijing on Tuesday and forced dozens of people to evacuate, Chinese state media reported.

As clouds of black smoke billowed into the sky, people trapped in the multistory building apparently tied bedsheets into makeshift ropes and escaped by climbing out windows, as seen in videos circulating on social media. Others took refuge by perching on air conditioning units just outside.

Emergency crews have since extinguished the fire, which broke out in the east wing of the inpatient department of Beijing Changfeng Hospital, state media, including CGTN, reported, and at least 71 patients were rescued. The cause of the fire is under investigation.