The 28-story building was under renovation when it went up in flames, according to Xinhua.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Death toll jumps, according to state media
- NEW: Residents tell media that renovation workers threw cigarette butts in halls
- The building is home to 150 families
- Officials do not know the cause of the fire
iReporter Karl Loo lives near the building and was there about a half-hour after the fire started. See his dramatic video from the scene.
Beijing, China (CNN) -- A fire at a high-rise building in Shanghai killed at least 42 people and injured more than 90 on Monday, China's state media said.
The 28-story building was under renovation when it went up in flames, the Xinhua news agency said.
Witnesses said a scaffolding caught fire, and flames then spread to the building.
Firefighters rescued more than 100 residents from the burning building. The building houses 150 families, the news agency said.
"I can smell the smoke and police have pushed onlookers farther away," said Peijin Chen, a freelance photographer who lives across the street from the building. "I saw people taken out and put on stretchers."
Officials do not yet know the cause of the fire. But local media reports quoted residents as saying fire prevention measures had been lax since renovations began a month ago, and that workers frequently threw their cigarette butts into the hallways.
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