A man suspected of setting an apartment building on fire, which killed five and injured nine, has been placed under police control, police of Jinping district of Shantou city, Guangdong province, announced on Sunday.

At 9:18 pm on Saturday, the first floor of a residential building in Jinping district caught fire and local fire department later put out the blaze, as reported by the police. The investigation by the public security department concluded it was a case of arson.

The suspect is in police control now and the injured have been taken to hospital. The case is under further investigation.

Aybek Askhar contributed to this story.