The fire, which broke out at the factory in Chaonan district in Guangdong province in the afternoon, was contained half an hour later, the emergency management office of the provincial government said in a statement.
An initial investigation showed that the fire was the result of arson. Police have arrested a suspect surnamed Liu has been in connection with the incident.
One person was also injured in the fire.
Senior provincial officials have ordered to set up a working team to investigate the cause of the fire and to step up safety measures to avoid similar fatal fires.
