3 detained in China restaurant fire

Three people have been arrested in connection with a restaurant fire in northern China that killed 11 people and injured 16, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

The blaze Saturday night at the popular Baixinglou restaurant in Liaoning province's Chaoyang city raged for about an hour before it could be extinguished.

The victims included eight diners and three waitresses, Xinhua said, citing Zhang Minghua, deputy director of the Chaoyang Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Zhang said police have arrested a cook, a restaurant manager and a chef. Authorities also were questioning a restaurant board chairman and two other cooks.

According to police, the cook who was arrested had been preparing dishes using an oven that he wasn't qualified to operate. Because he was unfamiliar with it, he used too much cooking oil, which spilled and started the fire, police said.

All of the 16 injured were out of danger Monday, though 14 were still hospitalized, Xinhua said, citing local health official Wu Xianqi.