Locals fled from homes and buildings after a chemical factory explosion sent shockwaves throughout a city in northern China.Footage shows frightened residents and workers escaping onto the streets of Taiyuan city in Shanxi province following the powerful blast at the Shanxi Jiangyang chemical plant on November 21.The explosion shattered glass windows in nearby residences, with a mushroom cloud of smoke visible as a fire ripped through the facility.Local media reported that the fire had been extinguished, but the human toll is unclear.A large blaze also erupted at a factory in Anyang city in Henan province on November 21, killing 38 workers and injuring two others.China, in recent years, has seen a string of increasingly frequent industrial accidents believed to be due to lax safety protocols and corruption among enforcing officers.