China arrests 7 suspects in deadly hotel blaze

BEIJING – Chinese state media say police have arrested seven people suspected of setting a fire that killed 10 people at a hotel.

The Xinhua News Agency did not identify the seven or give a motive for the crime in its report Tuesday.

The blaze early Sunday in the northeastern city of Tonghua started in a ground floor stairwell and sent noxious smoke pouring onto the upper floors. A karaoke bar and a restaurant operate on the first and second floors of the seven-story building, with the hotel occupying the upper floors.

Police and government officials reached by phone said they had no further information.

The hotel is owned by the Nasdaq-listed Home Inns & Hotels Management Inc., the largest budget hotel operator in China.