Three firemen including a Shanghainese died while trying to extinguish a factory blaze which broke out in the early hours of Tuesday in east China's Zhejiang Province, fire authorities said.

The blaze broke out at around 3am in the workshops of Hangzhou Yusei Machinery Co., Ltd. in Xiaoshan District of Hangzhou, the provincial capital of Zhejiang. Up to 50 fire engines attended the scene and put the blaze under control by Tuesday noon.

The three firefighters, all men, went missing when they were trying to put out the flames. They were later found by rescuers and rushed to a hospital, but died despite doctors' efforts.

The burning materials such as plastic products, cartons and foam resulted in a huge amount of toxic smoke, according to the provincial fire fighting authorities.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

A Shanghai native was among the three firefighters who sacrificed their lives. They are Chen Wei, Shanghai native, Yin Zhihui, native in Lishui in Zhejiang Province, and Yin Jinliang, from Hebei Province, Hangzhou firefighters confirmed.

The company reported no casualties but three firefighters were reported being trapped. The three men were found when the fire was put under control at 10:50am, but the hospital attempts to resuscitate them failed, police said.

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