GUANGZHOU -- Eight people were killed in a residential building fire Tuesday night in Shantou City, South China's Guangdong province, local authorities said.

The blaze erupted at 9:21 pm in the city's Chaonan District and was extinguished by around 10 p.m., according to the district's fire department in the early hours of Wednesday.

The fire claimed 8 lives and left 4 injured, with all injured taken to hospitals immediately.

Preliminary investigations show the building was a four-story self-built concrete structure, with about 150 square meters affected by the blaze.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.