2nd LD-Writethru: Guangdong KTV fire kills 18, injures 5, arsonist escaped

GUANGZHOU, April 24 (Xinhua) -- Police are hunting for a suspected arsonist responsible for a fire in a KTV bar that has killed 18 people and injured another five early Tuesday in south China's Guangdong Province.

The fire was reported at around 0:30 a.m. in a bar in Qingyuan City, and was put out at 0:55, said a statement issued by the public security bureau of Qingyuan.

Initial investigations found Liu Chunlu, who was injured himself in the fire but ran off, had allegedly set the bar on fire.

The bureau has offered a reward of 200,000 yuan (32,000 U.S. dollars) for information leading to the arrest of Liu. Enditem