Arson suspect arrested after KTV fire kills 18 people in Guangdong

The man allegedly set the fire as a drunken act of vengeance

A man has been arrested after allegedly setting fire to a KTV in the Guangdong city of Qingyuan just after midnight on Tuesday, killing 18 people and injuring another five in a drunken act of vengeance.

The suspect has been identified as Liu Chunlu, a 32-year-old native of Yingde city in Guangdong province. Police say that Liu confessed to the crime upon being arrested at his home.

According to police, Liu said that he had got into a drunken fight on Monday evening at the KTV which led him to setting the whole place on fire after blocking the only exit with his motorcycle.

In setting the fire, Liu suffered burns to his hips before fleeing the scene. Police had offered a 200,000 yuan reward for information leading to his capture.