A fire in a six-storey building, which houses an electrical appliances store, killed six people and injured eight others in southwest China's Sichuan Province on Sunday.

The blaze started at about 4 AM in the building located at the county seat of Pixian, Chengdu.

The local government sent a fleet of 18 fire engines and 134 firemen to the site, rescuing 11 people from the building and evacuating 31 others in the neighborhood. The fire was put out an hour later, rescuers said.

The first floor of the building is a shop selling electrical household appliances and communications equipment, the upper floors serve as offices and warehouses.

The casualties are all employees of the company. The cause of the fire is being investigated.

(Xinhua News Agency September 18, 2006)