Police: Chinese man irate over debt sets nursing home ablaze, killing 11 (USA)

A squabble over $32 led a nursing home resident to set the building on fire, killing 11 people, Chinese state-run media reported.

Police said 45-year-old Wang Gui lost his temper after accusing another resident of stealing 200 yuan from him, the Xinhua news agency reported.

Staff members at Lianhe Senior Nursing Home tried to calm Wang down. So did other residents.

But nothing worked.

Early Friday morning, Wang set fire to the home in the northeast city of Hailun, authorities said.

The blaze killed 11 people, including Wang. Their ages ranged from 45 to 87, the Hailun public security bureau told Xinhua.

Wang had been sent to the nursing home because he suffered a stroke and had no one to take care of him, according to Xinhua.

About 32 people were in the inpatient building when the fire broke out, the agency said. The nursing home serves rural elderly residents who have no source of income.