A man was arrested Tuesday by police in Shantou in south China's Guangdong Province for charges of allegedly starting a deadly fire that killed five people.

The accused, who was identified by surname as Zheng, 54, is suspected to have set fire to a residential building in Jinping District in the city of Shantou on Oct. 13.

The suspect was cohabiting with a woman who lived on the first floor of the building. He allegedly locked the entrance to the house for mahjong-playing, which was owned by the woman, poured gasoline on the house and set the building on fire before leaving at night Saturday.

Five people were killed in the fire, including the woman who owned the mahjong house. Nine others were also injured.

The motivation of the suspect is still unknown.

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