HARBIN - Two people have been confirmed dead in a shopping center fire Monday night in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, with two others missing, said the local fire department.

Firefighters are searching the three-story building, which burned down to its frame, for more casualties.

Police are investigating the victims' identities. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.

The blaze broke out at around 9 pm in Jinlong Plaza in the Daowai District of Harbin, the provincial capital city. More than 1,000 residents living nearby have been evacuated.

Some 500 firefighters, with 78 fire engines, managed to put out the fire at 4:23 am Tuesday.