NANJING - Fire broke out in a pesticide factory in east China's Jiangsu Province late on Tuesday, local authorities said.

The fire broke out at 7:40 pm in a storage house of the Chemical Pesticide Factory of Jiangsu Yangnong Chemical Group Co. Ltd, in Yangzhou city, said an official of the municipal government.

As of 10 pm, no casualties had been reported.

Initial investigation showed the fire was triggered by a lightning strike. Heavy smoke burst out from the materials in the workshop, the official said.

The fire was controlled by 10 pm and further investigation into its causes is under way.