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SIX people died after over eager punters set off pyrotechnics outside a firework shop which then sparked a series of explosions.

The night-time incident happened in the city of Yueyang, in Central China’s Hunan Province, where the customers are said to have lit the celebratory device just 32 feet from the shop.

Customers could not wait to set off their firework purchases and set them off outside the massive store, setting a chain reaction of explosions inside
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Customers could not wait to set off their firework purchases and set them off outside the massive store, setting a chain reaction of explosions insideCredit: AsiaWire
Firefighters battle the raging inferno
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Firefighters battle the raging infernoCredit: AsiaWire
People died as the fire spread through the three storey building
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People died as the fire spread through the three storey buildingCredit: AsiaWire

Sparks from the fireworks shot into the warehouse where several tonnes of fireworks were being stored and it caused the chain of blasts that lasted several hours.

The fire brigade of Yueyang City dispatched 14 fire engines and no fewer than 84 firefighters to combat the flames, which had swallowed the entire three storey building, having spread to the flats above the shop.

Nearby trees and cars were also set ablaze.

By the time the flames were brought under control, close to midnight, only one homeowner had been pulled from the fire, while the bodies of six others were found inside their respective homes, with the victims reportedly having suffocated to death.

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Cars were set alight as the fire spread
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Cars were set alight as the fire spreadCredit: AsiaWire
Firefighters battling the blaze had to endure repeated explosions as boxes of fireworks blew up
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Firefighters battling the blaze had to endure repeated explosions as boxes of fireworks blew upCredit: AsiaWire

Further investigation is now under way, with the customers who caused the accident, as well as the people selling the fireworks, and whose names were not mentioned in reports, likely to be punished by the authorities.

Firework-related accidents have been widespread in recent weeks and their recent spike in production and sale is linked to the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations beginning 27th January.

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