Steel Framed Building Burns Doesn't Pulverize to Dust

SHANGHAI, China — Flames engulfed a high-rise apartment building in Shanghai on Monday, killing 42 people, injuring dozens more and forcing some residents to jump from their windows to escape, according to reports.

The 28-story building in the Jing’an District of the Chinese city was being renovated when a fire broke out at 2 p.m. local time (1 a.m. ET), the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported.

A witness said building materials caught fire, then spread to scaffolding and then to the building, which housed many retired teachers, Xinhua reported.

The fire appeared to have been put out about six hours later, and firefighters could be seen removing bodies from the building.

The death toll was initially put at at least eight, but later Xinhua reported that 42 people had been killed.