BEIJING: A fire at a private shelter for orphans and abandoned children in central China has killed at least 7 children and left an unknown number of others injured.

The official website China.org.cn says the fire broke out Friday morning at the shelter that was being run out of a woman's home in Lankao county of Henan province.

The website cites police at the site as saying that many children had been hurt in the fire, though the specific number was not yet available.

China.org.cn says the woman who owned the home, Yuan Lihai, had for years been a street vendor in Lankao when she became locally known for sheltering abandoned children. Another report says she's taken in more than 100 children over the past two decades.