(Updates death toll, adds details)
BEIJING, Aug 23 (Reuters) - A fire at a ceramics factory in southern China killed 15 people on Tuesday, two of whom died after jumping from the burning building, state media reported.
The fire broke out around dawn at the Shengfeng Ceramics Company plant in Foshan in the booming export-dependent province of Guangdong, the official Xinhua news agency reported.
More than 100 firefighters put out the blaze around two hours after it started, it added.
Rapid growth is throwing up vast numbers of new buildings and factories in China. While major fires have been relatively rare compared with other developing countries, safety can be lax with blocked emergency exits a particular problem.
Fire department official Sun Jiangmin told Xinhua that the fire started on the second floor of the building, which houses dormitories and offices, and spread quickly.
"Sun blamed the large number of casualties on the building's poor fire alarm system and flammable interior decoration materials," the report added.
The factory's "legal representative" has been detained and the cause of the fire is under investigation, Xinhua said.
The government often responds to major accidents by detaining and sometimes jailing officials and managers accused of lapses.
A court in Shanghai this month sentenced four former city officials to up to 16 years in prison for corruption and abuse of power linked to a fire last November in the city that killed 58 people. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Yoko Nishikawa)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
