Hundreds evacuated in Xinjiang after fire

Hundreds of people were evacuated early today after a fire swept through several factories and a residential building in Urumqi, capital of northwest China's Xinjiang province.
No information on casualties was immediately available, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.
The fire that broke out at around 1 am today and was put out at around 7 am.
Earlier it swept through a sofa plant, an open-air storage place for cardboard boxes, a plastic-crushing plant, a storage house for building materials and a residential building in Saybag district in southern Urumqi.
More than 200 fire fighters aided with 55 fire engines were still clearing the ember and checking casualties, the report said.

Xinjiang witnessed several violent attacks recently. China accuses East Turkestan Islamic Movement (ETIM) for the violence.
The province is experiencing unrest for the past few years over protests by native Uighur Muslims opposing the settlements of Hans from other provinces.