A building fire that left 10 people dead and another injured earlier this week in East China's Fujian province was started by an arsonist, local police said Wednesday.

Police have detained the suspect, surnamed Liu, and he has confessed to the crime, according to a statement issued by the public security bureau of the city of Nanping.

The statement did not reveal the suspect's intentions or motivations.

Around 4 am on Monday, a fire engulfed two residential buildings in the village of Cunshangdian in the city of Jian'ou, administered by Nanping.

Firefighters put out the blaze three hours later.

The fire affected 12 households and killed seven people at the scene. Rescuers later retrieved three more bodies.