Eighteen families of 21 people killed in an apartment block fire last Wednesday in east China's Wenzhou city have each been given 300,000 yuan (40,760 U.S. dollars) in compensation and subsidies by the local government.

The 18 families signed compensation agreements with the Lucheng District of Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, while three others were still negotiating, according to the Lucheng District government.

The fire broke out about 8:20 a.m. in a flower shop on the first floor of the 28-storey Wenfu Mansion building. It killed two people in the shop and 19 others on the second floor who were attending their morning exercise class. Two people were also injured after jumping from high floors to escape.

Police have detained three people in connection with the fire. In custody were Wu Songdi, board chairman of the Duoduoxian Horticulture Co. Ltd., Shao Yongsen, owner of the Yuanyuan Ballroom and Zhu Xiuling, legal representative of the Duoduoxian flower shop, who fled after the fire.

An initial investigation found that sparks from an electrical wire in the flower shop set wrapping paper and plastic flowers ablaze and started the fatal fire.

Rescuers safely evacuated 213 others who were initially trapped in the building where the bottom three floors were for commercial use and the rest for apartments.

Local authorities froze the flower shop owner's bank account.

(Xinhua News Agency December 19, 2007)