Fires occurred in November killed 103 people, a sharp increase of 94.3 percent over the previous month, the Ministry of Public Security said on Monday.

In November, 17,034 fires broken out in China, leaving 103 people dead and 90 injured, up 24.1 percent, 94.3 percent and 15.4 percent respectively, the ministry's fire department said.

The fires also caused 45 million yuan (5.6 million U.S. dollars) in losses, up 11.7 percent over October, the ministry said.

More than 189,000 fires occurred in China during the first ten months, leaving 1,238 people dead and 1,204 injured, according to the ministry.

With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, more skyscrapers, underground facilities and petrochemical companies were built, which poses greater fire risks, Guo Tienan, director of the ministry's fire department said.

Guo urged departments at every levels to take measures to eliminate fire risks while commenting on the fire accidents last month.

Source: Xinhua