BEIJING - (AFP) - Ten people were killed and nine others injured in a fire that broke out in a residential building in the northwestern Chinese province of Xinjiang , according to the New China News Agency.

The agency said the fire broke out on Thursday evening at around 19:50 (11:50 GMT).

And she indicated that "ten people died despite emergency care," adding that "the injuries of the other nine people are not serious," and indicating that an investigation has been opened into the source of the fire.

Similar fires are very common in China due to inadequate safety standards and rampant corruption among those responsible for enforcing them.

This week, 38 people died and two others were injured in a factory fire in Anyang (center).