Hebei police have confirmed after an initial investigation that arson was behind a fire at a karaoke bar last week in which 11 people were killed, the China News Service reported today.

A team of fire experts have combed over the debris at Gedu karaoke bar and a foot massage parlor in Chengde County, Hebei Province, to look for flammable materials including electrical equipment and sensors. They also checked to see if the blaze was started by a cigarette.

They concluded the fire was ignited intentionally after their tests ruled out other possibilities, an insider said.

The fire broke out in the southeast corner of the karaoke bar and spread to the foot massage parlor, the report said. All victims were in the karaoke bar.

Investigators did not found gasoline leak traces at the scene although there was a motorbike near the bar.

The boss of the bar, surnamed Wang, has been detained and his assets have been frozen.

The victims, 10 women and one man, were all about 20 years old and worked in the bar. Relatives of the victims have received compensation and the bodies have been cremated, said the report.

(Shanghai Daily November 21, 2007)