Rescuers were responding to a suspected gas leak explosion Wednesday in a building in northern China that has killed two people and injured 26, authorities said.
The explosion came early in the morning from a fried chicken shop in the city of Sanhe, authorities said in a short statement. The city is just an hour drive west of Beijing.
Russia is ready to use nuclear weapons if threatened, Putin tells state media
Police cordoned off streets 1 kilometer (over half a mile) out from the explosion, Associated Press reporters saw, and were directing people away.
Fire engines were still arriving at the scene as of 11 a.m., and a truck could be seen hauling away a burnt-out car with its windows gone. Pieces of the building's frame stood at a tilt above piles of rubble.
What is India's new citizenship law and why are Muslims in the country worried?
Over 150 firefighters were sent to bring the flames under control, according to national broadcaster CCTV. Videos online showed smoke billowing out of a mid-level commercial building at an intersection.