China market blaze kills eight, 15 hurt

A fire at a vegetable market in China's northern province of Hebei killed eight people and wounded 15, state television CCTV said on Saturday.

Authorities were investigating the cause of the fire in the city of Zhangjiakou, which was doused just over an hour after it broke out at about 8:40am, the broadcaster added, reports Reuters.

Huge dark billows of smoke hung over the market in the city's Qiaoxi district, videos posted by other media on China's Weibo microblogging site showed, along with large flames.

Identified as the Liguang vegetable market in some media, it opened in 2011 and sells items ranging from fruit and seafood to electronics, company data provider Qichacha said.