Chinese state media say at least 39 people died and nine others were injured when a fire broke out during cold storage warehouse construction work at an integrated brick and concrete structure building for commercial and residential use in southeastern Jiangxi province.

BEIJING -- A fire broke out in a commercial building in China’s southeastern Jiangxi province on Wednesday, killing at least 39 people and injuring nine others, state media said.

Officials for the Yushui district of Jiangxi province said that the fire broke out in the basement of a shopping area in the afternoon. In addition to rescue workers, firefighters and police, local government officials were deployed to the scene.

A preliminary investigation found that fire was caused by unauthorized welding during construction work in the basement, local official officials said.

It was found that the basement floor of the building was undergoing a walk in cold room installation. The fire broke out due to the improper cold storage construction work by construction personnel's unauthorized welding which caused the uncontrolled fire burning of the cold room insulated panels. Due to the fire being too large to be extinguished in time, thick smoke poured into the second floor through the corridor. There are a tutoring center and an internet cafe on the second floor, and the trapped people are mainly students who participated in the training course and accommodation passengers.

State broadcaster CCTV later reported that rescue operations were complete and that no people remained trapped in the building, which it said housed an internet cafe in the basement and tutoring centers on upper floors.

The local government said that the cause of the fire was under investigation.