Police have arrested an arsonist for a karaoke bar fire last month in north China's Hebei Province that killed 11, the local government said Friday.

Jiang Dayong, a waiter at the Gedu Karaoke bar, admitted to setting the bar on fire at around 4 AM on Nov. 14 to retaliate for being frequently scolded by the bar staff, the Chengde County government said.

The 19-year-old said he had been scolded at 1 AM on Nov. 14 for some reason. Thinking he had been scolded too many times before, he decided to take revenge.

He said he got some gasoline from a motorbike parked inside the bar and put it into a plastic bottle. He then poured the gas onto the bar floor and ignited it

The blaze killed a karaoke bar worker and 10 waitresses sleeping in a nearby foot massage house in the same building.

Tian Yumin, the legal representative of the bar, and its operator, Wang Ying, were also arrested.

The Chengde government said families of the victims had been compensated on average 200,000 yuan (US$26,666) each.

(Xinhua News Agency December 8, 2007)