A fire at a factory in China that killed 38 people, many of them women, was caused by electric welding that flouted regulations, Reuters has reported.

The fire broke out at Kaixinda Trading Co Ltd in Anyang, in the central province of Henan, on Monday afternoon and fire teams sent 63 vehicles to the scene, state broadcaster CCTV said.

Many of the victims were women who made winter cotton clothes and pants at the factory, according to media reports. The person in charge of Kaixinda, a small private firm, is in custody, CCTV reported.

The fire broke out in Anyang city, in the central Henan Province about 4.30pm on Monday and it took firefighters about three-and-a-half hours to bring the blaze at the premises of Kaixinda Trading Co under control, according to the local Wenfang district government.

Broadcaster CCTV reported: “After receiving the alarm, the municipal fire rescue detachment immediately dispatched forces to the scene.

“Public security, emergency response, municipal administration, and power supply units rushed to the scene at the same time to carry out emergency handling and rescue work.”