GUANGZHOU -- A total of 12 people were killed in a residential building fire on Tuesday night in Shantou city, South China's Guangdong province, local authorities said Wednesday.

The blaze erupted at around 9:20 pm in the city's Chaonan district and was extinguished by around 10 pm, according to the district's fire department.

Preliminary investigations show that the building was a four-story, self-built concrete structure, with the fire affecting about 150 square meters.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.