Explosion in building outside Beijing kills one person and injures 22

Rescuers were responding to a suspected gas leak explosion on Wednesday in a building in northern China (Ng Han Guan/AP)

A suspected gas leak explosion in a building in northern China has killed one person and injured 22, authorities said.

The explosion came early in the morning from a fried chicken shop in the city of Sanhe, authorities said in a short statement. The city is an hour drive west of Beijing.

Police cordoned off streets over half a mile from the explosion and were directing people away.

Firefighters work the scene of an explosion in Sanhe city in northern China’s Hebei province on Wednesday (Ng Han Guan/AP)

A truck could be seen hauling away a burned-out car with its windows gone.

Pieces of the building’s frame stood at a tilt above piles of rubble.

More than 150 firefighters were sent to bring the flames under control, according to national broadcaster CCTV.

Videos online showed smoke billowing out of a mid-level commercial building at an intersection.