More than 270 fire fighters are trying to put out a fire breaking out Friday morning at a auto parts store in Shenyang, capital of northeastern Liaoning Province.

One man at his fifties has been confirmed dead in the fire and six injured, including a fire fighter, have been hospitalized, according to local government.

The third floor of the auto parts store, located at a four-story building in the Nanjing Northern Street in the city's downtown area, was caught on fire at around 8:30 AM on Friday.

The fire fighter, who has been seriously injured, is out of danger and the five others are also in a stable condition, according to the doctors with the No. 1 hospital under the China Medical University in Shenyang.

More than 400 residents living in the building nearby have all be evacuated and the water and power supply in that area has been cut off, according to the fire control office under the Shenyang municipal public security department.

Witnesses could see black smoke and flame spewing out of the building. Strong smell of burning rubber and oil has been spreading in the air.

"It's terrible. I have never seen such a big fire before. I guess everything in the building has been destroyed," said a resident living nearby who just gave his name as Zhou.

A fire fighter who declined to give his name told Xinhua that the fire has been under control, however, as the store is filled with flammable articles such as tyres, lubricating oil and plastic products, so it is hard for the fire to be extinguished in a short time.

The public security department said the cause of the fire is not clear so far, but witnesses said a group of workers were upgrading the building's fire control facilities and sparks caused by electric welding led to the fire.

It is the second fire in Shenyang on Friday. An underground gas pipeline was accidentally broken and caught fire at around 8:00 a.m. on Nanwuma Road, a major traffic artery close to Dongbei University, with gas and power supplies to more than 2,000 households in the region cut off.

Firemen extinguished the blaze later in the morning and the gas and power supply has resumed in the afternoon.

(Xinhua News Agency April 7, 2007)