Baku, December 29 (AZERTAC). At least 17 people have been killed and about 80 others injured in an early morning fire at an industrial district in an eastern suburb of Myanmar`s biggest city, Yangon, police have said. A police officer said 12 men and five women had been confirmed dead on Thursday, Reuters news agency reported, adding that the death toll could go up. Officials say the fire started in a state-owned warehouse before dawn and quickly spread to homes and buildings, many of them wooden. A hospital official said the dead included at least one firefighter who was killed by the explosion when they were putting out the fire. Firefighters continue to search for bodies, as the blaze was reported to have spread to a nearby shipyard and factories. Television pictures showed rescue teams carrying casualties on stretchers in the middle of the night around what appeared to be badly damaged buildings. The shock from the loud explosion in the area was felt by many people in eastern and central Yangon. However, the police did not make any comment on the cause of the disaster. "There are many casualties. We are not in a position to give you further information. We are still looking into it," a police official said. Last Wednesday, a woman was killed and another injured when what was described as a bomb exploded in a public toilet near the main campus of Yangon University.